


The House on Prairie Corners

by bluetoast



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alpha Ben Solo, Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - 1960s, BAMF Rose, Blizzards & Snowstorms, Breeding, Daddy Kink, Emergency Rooms, F/M, Family Dinners, Family Fluff, Hospitals, Housewarming, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Lactation Kink, Omega Rey (Star Wars), Porn With Plot, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Kink, Pregnancy sex, Smut, Smut and Fluff, Yellowstone Park, labor, mentions of broken bones, snuggle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-28
Packaged: 2020-10-04 19:29:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 31,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20476280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluetoast/pseuds/bluetoast
Summary: It's been 5 months since Rey and Ben met and became mates, and they have only grown closer since that time. As a mid December blizzard sweeps into Yellowstone, the weather is the last thing on either of the minds. As Rey's next heat and Ben's rut are about to align, they only have one plan while they're snowed in.Start a family.Sequel toThe Ballad of You, And Me, and Everything In Between





	1. Chapter 1

The seasons changed swiftly in Yellowstone. When Rey and Ben had first arrived, back in August, summer felt hot and endless. Somewhere, between becoming mates and the end of September, a rapid change took place. One morning in October, they woke to find a thick layer of frost heralding the winter, which followed swiftly before Ben's birthday in November.

Rey covered a yawn as she came downstairs, heading into the little kitchen, grimacing as the sound of the howling wind rattled the house. Winter, it turned out, showed up in Wyoming before November could really get started and now, almost halfway into December, if they didn't cross the days off on the calendar before going to bed every night, she'd lose track of the date and day of the week. From the back window, she could see the fast falling flakes, the footprints from this morning already erased.

She stretched her arms over her head, checking the contents of the crock-pot on the counter. The soup within bubbled as she lifted the lid and gave it a few stirs; the odds of the storm not taking out the power before the day ended was next to impossible, and she'd rather have something half ready to take care of meals for the next few days. “Still should make some sandwiches.” She glanced back at the calendar, a bold blue circle around tomorrow's date.

December twelfth – the day her next heat would start, along with Ben's rut. Though given her current need to head back to bed despite the nap and the urge to start eating, she wondered if they miscalculated.

The wind gave another sharp roar as the front door opened, a blast of bitter air sweeping into the house, followed by a soft curse. “It's a damn good thing the tourists all left, because there's almost nothing at the market.” Ben called, “Rey, you awake?”

“Yeah, I think I only slept an hour, at best.” She went to the doorway, leaning against it as he took off his wraps and coat. “Did you leave anything in the car?”

“Hell no. I'm not going back outside unless I absolutely have to.” He sat down to unlace his boots. “I more or less slid into the drive.” He gave her a warm smile as she came over to pick up the canvas bags of groceries. “Good thing I took care of the propane tank last week.” He grimaced, “Is it me, or is it a little cool in here?”

“It's a little cool, but you did just let the outside air in. Give it a few minutes.” She brushed a kiss against his forehead. “And you did go out into that mess.” She walked back to the kitchen, setting the bags on the table. “I'm getting ready to make some sandwiches, so we have something prepared for...” she felt her cheeks go pink, “you know what I mean.”

“I do,” Ben answered as she set the milk into the fridge. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired,” she replied, emptying out the rest of the groceries to sort before putting them away. “Though considering how tired I'll feel after my heat...” she closed her eyes as she heard the floorboards creak under her mate's feet, inhaling slowly. In the months they had known each other, she still couldn't quite believe the reality of her life. A year ago, she was on the cusp of a heat, lying in a flat in London, abandoned by an alpha right before she needed him the most. Now, here she was, mated to a different alpha, the two of them about to spend the next four days consumed by their baser instincts.

“You want to go back upstairs and lie down?” His arms came around her, his face pressed against her neck. “I can do this.”

“No, I should stay upright while I still can think straight,” she quipped, chuckling as he sucked at her skin, “wicked alpha.”

“I'm not wicked,” his hand slipped under her shirt – well, technically his shirt – and rested it on her belly. “You smell so sweet, little omega.” He let out a breath. “Better than you usually do.” His hand moved higher, cupping her breast, weighing it in his palm. “If I were wicked, I would throw you over my shoulder right now, carry you upstairs and tear your clothes off before ravishing you.”

She let out a gasp as his other hand slid under the waistband of her jeans. “You're a dreadful tease,” she whined as his fingers moved over her panties. “We're not going to get things we need done...” she squirmed in his arms as he nipped her neck. “Ben!”

“You're right,” He sighed, his fingers slipping away from her skin. He stacked the cans of soup and vegetables and carried them into the pantry. “If there's one thing the winter has over the summer, we don't have to worry about wild animals in the garbage cans.”

She chuckled, “Well, that and it's a lot easier to stay warm in the cold than it is to cool off in the summer. You can add a layer in winter but summer.... you could lie in a bathtub of ice water, but you can't take the cold water around you to walk around in.”

Ben snickered, “True. Don't worry, I didn't forget the batteries for the smaller radio. Of course, we know the news for us for the next few days – snow, snow, and more snow. Last I heard, we're supposed to get three feet.” He stretched, “I think I'm warming up.”

“That's good.” She put the remaining perishables in the fridge. They'd kept the bread inside in the summer due to the heat and the wildlife, and now they kept it there out of habit. She folded her arms as he put a few more things into the pantry. “How are you feeling?”

He folded the bags up, stuffing all of them into one. “Unsettled, jumpy – the usual for me before a rut.” He set a hand on her hip, kissing her gently. “Possessive. Part of the reason I wanted you to stay here when I went to the store. I might have thrown someone into a display if I saw another alpha look at you.”

She stood on her tiptoes to tug at his bottom lip with both of hers. “You're almost always like that, Professor. Sometimes, I think it's a miracle you let me spend time with Rose.”

“An entirely different situation, love.” He pulled her into another hug, rubbing her back in slow circles, “Rose is already mated, the two of you are the same gender, and I know neither of you are bisexual.”

“Funny.” She rubbed her cheek against his front, inhaling his scent, “Although not having to go out in the cold is also nice.” She wrapped her arms around his waist. “You also don't have a problem with my being around Finn.”

“Same thing.” His hands slid down into the pockets of her jeans, “Maybe you're onto the right idea in preparing food for the next few days. I think we need something to keep occupied while we can still stay focused on something other than well...” He kissed the top of her head. “Speaking of, I'm going to go put kindling into the wood burning stove.” He let her go, moving out of the kitchen.

Straightening her shirt, Rey finished putting away the rest of the groceries, setting two bowls next to the crock-pot. “We'll not have any luck with the television. We have a hard enough time getting a signal on a clear day, but the exchange is shade in the middle of summer.”

“No kidding.” The heavy iron door creaked as he opened it. “Good thing we have firewood inside. I don't know if the radio will offer anything better.”

She snickered, “This is silly, talking about the oncoming blizzard like it's the first one of the season.” She leaned against the threshold, watching as he worked. “Maybe we should play cards, or something.”

“Funny.” He stood up, turning on the standing radio, fiddling with the dial, searching through the static. “We know what we're going to do for the next few days... and in truth Kitten, I feel like we're trying to delay things – when we don't have to.”

“Dinner first,” she snickered, “we'll eat, do the dishes...” she swallowed as he came over, lifting her chin with his hand, “Ben...”

“We haven't had the luxury of non-stop fucking since we mated in August.” His fingers slipped down her front, lingering on the buttons of the shirt. “I can smell your milk, Kitten.” He inhaled slowly, “Those lovely tits of yours are full, aren't they?”

She licked her bottom lip, meeting his eyes. “I can't wear a bra,” she swallowed, “but they aren't leaking...yet.”

“I won't let any go to waste, don't you worry.” He brushed his lips against hers. “I'll take care of you, love.” His tongue traced her mouth, “We'll take care of each other, sate our hungers and needs.” His hand moved under her shirt again, fingers teasing her stomach.

Rey wrapped her arms around Ben's neck. “You best get all your talking out of the way now, I intend to keep your mouth busy elsewhere before we go to bed.” She pulled him into a kiss, grinning when she felt him lift her legs and press her against the wall. She absolutely loved it when he unleashed the alpha side of him; the protectiveness or dominance, it didn't matter. She keened slightly as his lips moved towards her neck. “You smell eager, mate.”

“Oh I am,” he snickered as she wrapped her legs around his waist, kissing the tip of her nose. “My sweet little omega almost in heat, knowing we're going to do nothing but fuck.” He gave her a leer. “We'll spend the entire time naked. The house will stay warm, the weather will keep us in...” He pushed his hips against hers, smiling at her gasp. “A proper heat and rut for us, love.” Ben kissed her temple and lowered her legs to the floor. “But first, we need to eat.”

*  
They sat on the couch in front of the radio, the soup tasting a little off in Ben's mind. He knew heightened senses indicated the start of a heat or a rut, but when he only went through it once a year, he tended to forget how things went for him, until right before his rut overtook him. It didn't taste tinny- as canned might have, it just tasted – not quite right. He glanced over at Rey, who, in the five months he'd known her, would eat anything.

Stale.

The soup tasted oddly stale, but he ate another mouthful, knowing he could eat a peach straight from a tree right now and still think the flavor wrong. Stupid hormones. “Don't take this the wrong way, but I miss fresh vegetables.”

“None taken.” She gave him a smile, “The potatoes taste right – everything else, sort of...”

“I know.” He watched her eat another spoonful, before looking down into his own bowl. “But we need to eat, and we don't have the counter space to make fancy things.”

“We manage,” she countered, “I think our current issue stems from us trying to prepare for something we know is coming, and while we'd rather start early, we're acting responsible. Back in August, we had distractions, and now, without them, it's hard to think of anything else.”

The radio crackled once as the song came to an end and the deejay started to talk. “That was Peter, Paul, and Mary with 'Leaving on a Jet Plane' and no planes are leaving this part of the country any time soon. The US Highway Patrol has closed Interstate Ninety in both directions.” He paused. “Current temperature in Cody is twenty-degrees, wind speeds around thirty miles per hour.”

“Damn,” Rey muttered, “kind of feel sorry for the guy, he's stuck at the station.” She snickered, “Although who would go outside right now?”

“No one, not unless they had to.” He set his empty bowl down and went over to the stove, placing several logs within. “I should have lit this earlier, aren't you cold?”

She shrugged. “A little, but I've spent most of the day napping, so I didn't think anything of it.”

He struck a fireplace match, setting the flame against the kindling, keeping his focus on the wood. “Trouble is, when this thing heats up, it really heats up.” He grinned, “And we can't open a window.”

“Who'd want to?” Rey chuckled, “And yes, I filled all the kerosene lamps this morning.”

Ben shut the door of the stove and turned, blinking in the semi-darkness and quiet. “Oh.”

“Like we didn't know the power was going to go out.” She picked up his soup bowl, “You want some more? I don't know how long the crock-pot will keep it hot.” She walked over to the kitchen, “Or do you want something else?”

“I think I'm good.” He took another match and went over to the low table, trimming the wick on the lamp before lighting it, smiling as he put the glass flue over the light. The past five months almost felt like a dream.

He'd had many a morning where he woke up, thinking he'd open his eyes and find his old apartment back in Baltimore, or worse, his room at his parent's house in Annapolis. Finding Rey by his side and the reality continued on, too sweet and wonderful – never failed to make each day better, even ones mired by research or paperwork.

He made his way over to the kitchen, leaning against the doorway as Rey rinsed out their soup bowls. “I'm going to move the mattress from the second bedroom down here. So we have a place in front of the stove, so we don't have to worry about the fire going out while we're upstairs, or something.”

“I know what you mean.” She ducked her head, “I'm going to make a few sandwiches – just – just so we have prepared food.”

“Yeah.” He turned and headed upstairs, glad to have something to occupy his time. The whole thing felt perfectly silly, when he stopped to think about it. Mated couples went through this every year, and one would never turn a hair about it. Maybe because this was their first one, some sort of giddy expectations, their relationship still so new, it felt all the more - special. Or it could come from the fact the two of them planned on Rey becoming pregnant during this heat.

He gathered up the pillows and the quilt, his alpha side starting to edge more and more into his mind. Watching his mate's belly swell and grow round as she carried their child, or children, if his prediction of siring twins on her was correct, felt – hell, he couldn't think straight, not right now. He tossed the bedclothes onto the couch as he went back up for the mattress.

His parents had not stated much in their last letter, other than they only worried about not knowing his mate beforehand. Given the sort of girls he'd grown up around and the sort his mother might introduce him to, he felt he'd done more than the right thing. If he and Rey had parted ways in August, he would never have forgiven himself.

He would be alone right now, dreaming of the omega he let slip through his fingers and gods only knew where Rey could have ended up.

Ben grimaced as he hefted the mattress up, a slight twinge of pain going up his back. “That's not supposed to hurt,” he muttered as he came downstairs, making up the bed in the middle of the family room. The room had warmed considerably since he'd started the fire in the stove, and he pulled off his sweater, flinching as he sat on the edge of the mattress. “Shit.”

“What's the matter?” Rey came out of the kitchen, her head lowering slightly as she inhaled. “Oh.” She crossed over to him, kneeling down to crawl into his lap. “I see what's wrong.” She nuzzled his neck, “I know exactly what you need, alpha.”

“Rey...” His mouth went dry as she unbuttoned the shirt, pulling the fabric aside, revealing her swollen breast, a droplet of milk clinging to the nipple.

She shifted so she knelt in front of him, stroking his hair as he stuck out his tongue, catching the liquid before it could fall. “There you go.” She guided his mouth towards her, and he closed his lips around the stiff peak, his hands resting on her waist as he began to suckle.

He'd forgotten how wonderful and sweet his mate's milk tasted. He shifted his gaze to meet hers as he drank, loving the tender look on her face. Rey's fingers combed through his hair, keeping her eyes on his. As much as he lamented the loss of the treat back at the end of August, the wait – the return of such a thing made it all the more wonderful.

“No wonder you barely touched your soup.” She let out a breathy laugh, “You're hungry for something else entirely.” Her other hand brushed against his cheek, “don't drink too fast, you might choke.”

He pulled back, panting. “I intend to savor every drop I can.” He reached up and tugged the other side of the shirt open, and they let the garment drop to the floor. He met her gaze. “The perfect fuel....” he traced the already suckled nipple with his tongue, “for a breeding heat.” He closed his mouth back around her, drinking deeply as his eyes fell shut, reveling in the soft cry she gave him.

*

Rey did not remember falling asleep; almost exactly like her nap earlier in the day, only this slumber had the added fuel of a pre-heat fuck thrown in. She opened her eyes, focusing on the kerosene lamp burning brightly on the coffee table. The wind rattled against the house, and she let out a breath, looking down as she felt something wet move against her skin. She chuckled as she watched Ben latch onto her breast, his eyes dreamy as he suckled, the soft swallows the loudest noise in the still house. She shifted so he could drink easier, and met his gaze. “Of course you're still hungry, you only had one serving.”

He let go of her, panting. “You're addictive, and it wouldn't do to drink it all at once,” he rasped, tracing her nipple with his tongue, “and I'm on the cusp of my rut. We're awful with our cycles' math.” He closed his mouth back around her, drinking deeply.

“Our bodies tried to get in synch, and well, we're only a day off.” She let out a hiss as his hand slid down between her legs, his thumb pressed against her clit. “And I think you'll manage to throw me into heat in a matter of hours.”

Ben's mouth slowed against her skin, giving her nipple one last lick, “I can smell it on you, darling.” He slid his fingers inside her cunt, grinning down at her, as he stroked and stretched it. “You'll fall into heat mid-fuck.”

She arched her hips towards him, whimpering, “Alpha...” She hissed as he swiped at her nipple with his tongue. “Yes...” She met his eyes as he withdrew his fingers, feeling his cock hard against her thigh. “Mate.” She let her arms fall back onto the mattress, spreading her legs wider in invitation.

“Such a good omega.” He kissed her gently, guiding the head of his cock to her entrance. “Ready and willing.” He thrust into her, his eyes narrowing as her sheath closed around him. “Oh yes...” He rocked slowly in and out, teasing her with his length.

“Please...” she groaned, arching her hips to meet his, drawing him deeper. “Please fuck me, Daddy.”

“What did you call me, Kitten?” He stilled, brushing her cheek with his fingers, meeting her eyes.

Rey swallowed; she hadn't meant to say it, the name had simply slipped out. Never in her life had she used the term, or given it much thought. Licking her lips, she nudged her hips up against his. “Daddy.”

“Naughty girl.” He leaned down, kissing the spot in front of her ear. “Kinky girl,” he rasped, and she caught the change in his scent, and she felt her head swim as it overwhelmed her. “Say it again.”

“Daddy.” She squirmed, struggling to find some kind of leverage. “Fuck me Daddy, please...”

“Good girl,” he growled, driving his cock into her, barely withdrawing before thrusting back in, “mine.”

She wrapped her legs around his waist, panting as he filled her, tilting her head to the side, focusing on nothing but the slap of skin on skin, the wonderful smell coming from her mate, and the flickering flame of the lamp, casting the two of them in a soft glow in complete contrast to their actions. “Yours, Daddy...”

“Oh you're nearly there, Kitten.” Ben nuzzled her neck, licking at the skin, tugging to bring her mating gland out, “So beautiful...”

Rey clung to the sheets as she felt his cock swell, whimpering as her cunt tried to keep up with her mate's rut. She closed her eyes and surrendered; almost sighing in relief as with the next thrust, she felt her heat wash over her, the slight twinge of pain in her lower body slipping away. “Yes...”

“Sweet Omega....” He growled out as he shoved his knot inside of her quim. His next words were lost to her as she tumbled over the edge, overwhelmed by everything, the feeling of his own release barely registered, only that he kept coming; filling her full.

She licked her lips, trying to form a coherent thought as Ben turned the two of them over, so she rested on top, his hands moving in lazy circles down her back.

“It's all right.” He kissed the top of her head. “Just relax, Kitten.” He let out a worn breath. “Damn.”

“Understatement.” She gulped as she felt his hips still moving against hers. “Though I think intense is what we do best.”

His hand cupped her rear, letting out a breath as his cock continued to pulse inside her. “Well, not always.” He made a soft crooning noise. “Though I didn't expect the name you called me.”

Rey felt her cheeks go pink; why did she feel so embarrassed? “You certainly seemed to enjoy it,” she breathed, feeling emboldened. “Didn't you, Daddy?”

Ben gave her backside a soft slap, then soothed the sting. “I did, Kitten.” His other hand slid up into her hair, holding her in place. “I love it when my omega talks dirty. Just like I know she loves it reciprocated.”

“Guilty,” she whispered against his skin, “will you fuck me from behind next time?” She grinned at his growl. “I love it when my Daddy Alpha fucks me from behind."

“I'm going to fuck you until you can't walk, Kitten. I'll have to carry you up to bed to rest once our time here is done.” His hand slid down to her hip, “Daddy will take such good care of you.” He let out a soft groan as he released again.

Rey closed her eyes, focusing on her breathing. “Love you, Alpha.”

His hand went back to rubbing the spot between her shoulders. “I love you too, mate.”

*

Ben tucked the covers around Rey as he stood and added fresh wood to the stove. The house almost felt pleasant from the heat, but he knew better than to let the fire go out. The wind howled against the house as he made his way into the kitchen, grabbing the transistor radio and coming back to sit on the makeshift bed in the living room. It felt late; the two of them hadn't exactly kept track of time.

He flipped the device on, scrolling through the static until he picked up a station playing Jefferson Airplane's 'White Rabbit' “Why are you guys always on?” He set the radio next to the lamp and laid down, curling around Rey's still sleeping form.

“Good evening, Boise!” the deejay's voice rang out, far too chipper for Ben's taste. “It's eleven thirty two, twenty-two degrees, and the estimate of the snowfall here is fourteen inches, with ten more expected by dawn.”

“Someone has good coffee,” Rey mumbled, shifting so she faced him. “Boise's pretty far from here, isn't it?”

“Half a day's drive, give or take.” He kissed the top of her head. “You hungry?”

“No,” she sighed, rubbing at her eyes,“though something tells me we should go ahead and eat, before we become incoherent again.”

Ben chuckled, smoothing down her hair. “Knowing the two of us, the time between rounds will get progressively shorter – though the lack of knowing the time keeps us from keeping things documented.”

“Like we'd bother remembering.” She grinned and sat up, stretching. “Huh, you almost wouldn't know there's a blizzard outside by the warmth in here.”

He laughed, sitting up as well. “If we let the fire in the stove go out, it'll get cold quicker than we realize.” He kissed her temple. “You stay put. I'll go get something from the kitchen.” Going into the other room, he grabbed a box of crackers and peanut butter from the pantry. They would save the sandwiches for later. Not the best of meals, but he didn't trust they could remain coherent for anything to cook on the stove.

Rey combed her hair with her fingers, not looking at him when he returned, setting the items down on the low table. “I turned the radio off, wanted to save the batteries.”

“Well, we know what time it is, roughly – and the weather does speak for itself.” He started to fix the peanut butter and crackers, handing her the first one. “I know, nothing special.”

“Naked picnic in the living room, it's sort of special.” She shrugged, “I think the trouble comes from how weird the cycles are – maybe if the naps in between remained equal in length...” she shook her head, eating another cracker.

“I don't think biology is going to learn the function of a steady clock,” he retorted, scraping the knife against the side of the jar. “It's also rather hard to have a conversation about much when...” he gave her a once over, “when your body decides to override your mind of any other subject than, well...”

Rey rose up on her knees, leaning over to kiss his cheek. “Which is why we're eating. We need food for energy.” She nipped at his ear. “Who knows, maybe this time we can go without the nap.” She smiled, setting a hand on his thigh and sliding it upward. “What do you think?” her fingers brushed his cock, smiling as it began to harden under her touch.

He leaned forward, capturing her lips in an opened mouth kissed. “I think we can, Kitten.” He fed her another cracker covered in peanut butter. “But we need to eat first.” Loathed as he was to do it, he pulled her hand from him. “Good omegas eat while their minds are clear during heat.”

She gave him a pout as she took a fourth cracker. He could see the amusement in her eyes before she looked away. “I know.”

He smoothed down her hair before putting the lid back on the jar. “Although you did have more soup than I did earlier, so I understand if your heart's not really into eating.”

“I'm okay.” She stretched her arms out in front of her, yawning. “This is always weird, like the eye of a hurricane, the lucid parts of heat.” She yawned and stretched, “Though considering this is only the second one I've spent with an alpha...” she grimaced, “Without an alpha..”

“Never again.” He kissed her temple, nudging her to lie back down. “You'll never have to spend another heat without me.” He smiled, running a hand down her front, stopping on her belly. “Though we won't have the luxury of this sort of heat-rut combination for a while after this.”

Rey laughed, “All the more reason to try and stay awake and enjoy as much of it as we can.” She grinned, “And it's not like pregnancy means an end to sex.”

“True.” He kissed her softly, tugging on her bottom lip with his teeth. “Though we may have to get creative with positions.” He nudged her and she obligingly turned onto her front. “Good girl.” He climbed over her, pulling her hips up from the bed. “I believe you asked for something...”

“Alpha...” she groaned as he slid a hand between her legs; still soaking wet and ready for him.

“What did you say?” He positioned the head of his cock against her entrance, grinning down at her. There was only one name he wanted her to use; the one that just hearing her say it... made his knot swell. “What do we say when we want something?”

She grinned over her shoulder at him, arching her back. “Daddy...” she licked her lips. “Please...”

“Yes.” He drove his cock inside her eager cunt, barely waiting for her to adjust before starting to thrust, the next wave of his rut washing over him. “Don't hold back your cries, Sweetheart.”

Rey whimpered into the pillow, turning her head to the side, panting as they fucked. “So good, Daddy.”

He growled, sliding his arms under hers and rolling them over so she lay on top of him, driving into her from underneath. “This is better, isn't it?”

Her head fell back over his shoulder, breathing hard. “Going to knot and breed me, aren't you, Daddy Alpha?”

“Yes.” He pounded into her, “My pretty omega.” He grinned as he set one hand on her stomach, holding her steady as he rocked in and out of her slick pussy. “Smelling so sweet, so fertile...”

Rey's hips moved in time with his, spreading her legs wider, “Going to get fat...”

“No.” He pressed his lips against her cheek, letting the smell of her heat consume him. He could see the two of them perfectly in his mind; lying on their sides in the bed upstairs, taking his omega slow and deep. “You're beautiful. Only going to get more beautiful.” He slid his hand down to press his finger against her clit. “What do you want, darling?”

She let out a breathy laugh. “Want your babies, alpha...”

“I'll give you babies, little omega.” He grinned, rolling them onto their sides, letting him go deeper, and he swore he could feel his cock under his hand, “When I'm done with you, I'll leave you with a bellyful.” He nipped her mating gland, “You're going to look so lovely when you're carrying.”

She let out a sharp cry as the strength of her heat seemed to double, and she trembled as she came, gasping as he continued to rock in and out of her. “Yes...”

He pulled her leg back over his as he drove his knot inside her cunt, shouting as he came, his cock throbbing with release. His hips continued to move, relishing in the scents of him and his mate, the world narrowed to nothing but the two of them, the makeshift bed, and the pain-twinged-with-pleasure place where they were joined.

*

Rey felt boneless as she slowly came awake. The sound of the storm outside had intensified, the wind roaring against the house, and she let out a breath as she felt Ben release her nipple. “Taste good?”

“Delicious.” He kissed her neck. “I didn't mean to wake you.”

She snickered. “Liar.” She opened her eyes and set a hand against his head, brushing his hair with her fingers. “How are you feeling?”

He nuzzled against her, “Antsy,” his hand moved down to rest on her hip,. “But now you're awake, so I'm better.” His fingers brushed against her thigh. “You?”

“I'm afraid I've lost the feeling in my legs, mate.” She rolled onto her back, giggling. “So I must stay in bed until I regain the ability to walk.”

He laughed, kissing her nose. “What a coincidence, all I want to do is keep you here.” He smoothed his hands down her legs, parting them slightly. “Hungry? Do you need to eat something?”

“I'm good, thank you.” She stretched her arms over her head, tilting her head coyly. “I know you've eaten, Daddy.”

“Naughty thing.” He leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose. “You have such sweet tits, love.” He licked across her nipple, drawing a hiss from her. “And I do love my mate's milk.” He laved the other.

Rey closed her eyes as another wave of her heat washed through her and she spread her legs wider in invitation. “So empty, Alpha.”

“So you are...” He chuckled and she felt the head of his cock brush up her entrance. “Pretty omega.” He thrust inside, burying himself to the hilt on the first stroke. “Better?”

“Yes.” She arched her back as he repeated the motion, drawing him deeper. “Fill me so well, Daddy.” She opened her eyes to meet his.

“You were made for my cock, darling.” He smiled down at her as he rocked in and out of her. “My perfect mate...” He set his hands on either side of her head, holding his weight as they fucked, “How did I ever get so lucky, Rey?”

She grinned, reaching up to set her hand against his face. “You gave me a ride west one morning,” she giggled, “and rode me for the first time that night.”

“Saucy omega.” He quickened his pace, his eyes going glassy as his rut overtook him. “Mate,” he growled, “mine.” He grabbed her wrists in his hands and pinned them over her head as he drove his cock in and out of her.

“Mate,” she panted, wrapping her legs around his waist, her eyes slipping closed as she let their combined scents and her own heat overtake her. Never had she experienced anything so intense. Not in all the times the two of them had fucked. “Knot me, alpha...” she panted, “breed me.”

“Good girl.” Ben growled in her ear as he slammed his hips against hers. “I'll leave you drenched in my seed, your womb full of my progeny.” He shoved his knot inside her quim and clamped his teeth down on her mating gland at the same time.

Rey's world went white.

*  
Ben gently washed Rey's face and neck, not certain how he felt. Most of the research of couples didn't mention the more – graphic parts of a rut-heat combination, and in truth, he didn't place much faith in such studies. People were rarely forthcoming about sex, even in this, the modern age. He rinsed the rag out and started to clean off the rest of his mate's torso.

“Nn..” she let out a whimper as he ran the cloth over her stomach. “Cold.”

“I'm sorry,” he sighed, kissing her forehead before going back to washing her. “I think our baser selves got a little too strong.”

“Now I really can't walk,” she muttered, opened her eyes and blinking up at him. “Did you sleep?”

He nodded, “I woke up about half an hour ago. I have no idea how long I slept.”

She closed her eyes again as he wiped her arms. “The wind sounds different, has it stopped snowing?”

“No, but it's lightened up some, meaning I can tell where the trees are.” He set the cloth into the bowl. “I'm going to get the sandwiches. You need to eat something.” He went into the kitchen, gathering up the prepared food from earlier. The storm outside had died down considerably, but the sky still seemed content to do nothing but dump buckets of snow down upon the Yellowstone Valley, and he doubted anyone or anything could find their way through the cold. “Don't even think of getting up if you don't want to,” he called, hearing a shuffling noise from the living room.

“I'm sitting, nothing more.” Rey let out a groan. “Yeah, forget walking, I don't think I can stand.”

Ben felt his face flush and he filled a glass with water before coming back to the living room. “I'm sorry.”

She gave him a baleful smile. “Well, one can't have pleasure without a little pain.” She winced as she straightened up. “Okay, bad idea…” She slumped forward, resting her arms on her thighs as he set the food on the table.

“I have no problem carrying you around where you need to go.” He leaned over and kissed her forehead. “I wouldn't mind doing it even when your legs are fully functional.” He handed her a glass of water. “You need help with this?”

She shook her head and took the glass, sipping from it slowly. “Thanks.” Her face twisted and she swallowed a little more water. “I'm not in pain so much as... well, you know when you're going really fast in the car and you have to come to a quick stop?”

He nodded, moving his hand on her back in slow circles. “Yeah.” His mate's scent had changed; still wonderful, but the tinge of mating heat had vanished; a cycle which normally lasted five days shortened to forty-eight hours.

Rey took another sip of water. “You're still in rut,” she stated, “how do you feel?”

“I'll survive.” He nuzzled the back of her neck, gently laving at her mating gland. “We should eat and you should get some more rest.” He covered a yawn. “We both could use it.”

She handed him the empty glass, “That helped, thank you.”

“You're welcome.” He put the glass on the table and picked up two sandwiches, handing her one. “Odd question, but do you celebrate Christmas?” He ate a large bite of sandwich.

Rey shrugged, “I don't exactly have a religion, and I don't object to the idea of the holiday.” She nibbled at the crust. “Not that we can do much for said holiday.”

“True.” He frowned, “Maybe we could get together with Finn and Rose again, have a holiday meal, like we did for Thanksgiving last month.” He chuckled. “First one I've ever had where curry was one of the side dishes. Real curry.” He stuffed the rest of the sandwich half into his mouth.

“Manners,” she admonished, snickering. “Well, it was the first one I'd ever celebrated. I doubt pot brownies are an acceptable dessert in most parts of society.”

“They were really good though, more than enough to make up for the lack of pumpkin pie.” He looked at the small plate of food, deciding against eating more as a flush went through him and he bent over, taking a deep breath. “Shit,” he hissed as he felt her hands in his hair and moving down his back. “Rey...”

“I know, Alpha.” She kissed his temple. “I know.” Her lips moved in a slow path down his neck, her tongue laving over his mating gland, right above his clavicle. “I think I owe you a bite too.”

Ben let out a breath, pulling her into his lap. The skin-on-skin contact made him shudder, and it took all his resolve not to push her down to the mattress. “Sweet Omega.” He closed his eyes as her tongue circled the gland. “Go on...”

“Patience, Daddy Alpha,” Rey whispered against his skin, her hand brushing his cock before sliding down to cup his balls, her thumb stroking the knot at the base. “So big, mate... I wonder how you fit inside me.”

“Tease..” he grimaced as her mouth closed over the gland, sucking it. “I'm going to show you how I fit in a minute if you don't...” He let out a half-shriek as her teeth bit into his skin, sharp and incessant. “Mate,” he groaned as his world began to spin.

*

Water gushed down around Rey as she leaned against the shower stall, trembling slightly in the warm spray. All she felt like doing was going to bed and staying there until Christmas. If her August heat had left her tired, this one had left her completely spent. Ben hadn't fared much better than her; and she closed her eyes, wishing she could sleep standing up. The tiny shower stall barely had enough room for one person, so they never could share a bath together.

Though, considering the past few days, it was probably a good thing.

The power remained out, and with the roads impassable, there was little chance of it returning before the end of the week. Ben had stated he would do the cleaning up; not that the two of them had left the makeshift bed in the living room for more than a few minutes in the past two days.

She opened her eyes and soaped up her washcloth, trying to keep her thoughts centered elsewhere and failing completely. Running it over her flat belly, wondering how long it would take before she started to show. She swore she could still feel Ben's knot buried inside her cunt, his whole cock throbbing as he released his spend deep, crooning gently in her ear.

Washing off her thighs, she did her best to change the subject in her mind; but like there was anything else she could shift it to.

She wrung the cloth out and set it aside as she lathered up her hair. So much about this didn't feel real. Like this had happened to someone else and she'd merely watched it or read about it. Faint bruises lined her hip bones, and she had kiss marks all over her front, and she felt certain she had plenty on her neck too.

“Rey?” Ben's voice came from the other side of the curtain. “I'm going to leave your pajamas here on the sink.”

“Thank you,” she replied, closing her eyes and tilting her head back to rinse out the shampoo. She still didn't feel like eating; which, knowing her, meant she needed plenty of rest until her appetite returned. Maybe a good twelve hours would do the trick. She shut the water off, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around her hair before she wrapped another around her middle.

“You don't need to get out already.” Ben's voice came from the kitchen.

“I'm done,” she answered, making quick work of drying off and pulling on one of his pajama shirts and one of her own pair of pants. Funny how good clothes felt now. Lastly, she tugged on a pair of fluffy socks before hanging the body towel up and leaving the bathroom, rubbing her hair dry. “Smells good.”

“I didn't think we'd ever have to use the pot belly stove for cooking, I don't think you realize how much depends on electricity until you lose power.” He sliced the meat into sections. “But I managed to not burn it.”

She moved over to the table, sitting down and rubbing her arms. “You feeling okay?”

“More wired than anything. But not wired enough to go dig the car out. I'll use my snowshoes for a while, thank you.” He chuckled, “Not like van could get out of the drive even if I did dig it out, and where am I going to go?”

“Point.” She rubbed her eyes. “Guess this means you'll get down to organizing your books in the other room?”

“Yeah.” He set a glass of water down in front of her, along with two slices of butter bread. “You need a bit of something to tide you over until dinner.” Ben stroked a finger down her cheek, smiling. “We didn't eat much for several days.”

“Thank you,” she turned her head towards his hand, pressing a kiss into his palm, “Daddy.” She met his eyes, seeing the spark in them at the word.

“You're recovering,” he tapped her nose. “And I fully intend to take care of you, double time from now on.” He kissed the top of her head before going back over to the stove. “Eat your snack, like a good girl.”

Rey snickered over her glass, not wanting to tempt him further. Trouble with post-heat fog, she never could settle – well, after she'd slept, she knew she could think more clearly. “I'm always a good girl.”

Ben poured gravy into the pan, stirring the contents. “I know you are, Kitten.” He gave her a sideways look. “Dinner shouldn't take too much longer. I don't want you falling asleep in the middle of your plate.”

She took another sip of water. “I won't, and you don't need to make such a fuss.”

“I want to,” he answered, letting the mix stew. “You know how I am.” He came over to the table, pressing a kiss against her temple. “I wouldn't be a good Daddy if I didn't take care of you.” He gave her a soft smile, “And I think I like that name a little more than Professor.”

She picked up a slice of bread as he returned to the stove. “Professor Daddy.” She grinned at his expression. “Don't worry, I'll never use the name in public.”

“I should hope not.” He frowned, “Though I think I should come up with an equally naughty name for you. Kitten's too mild, and I'm not calling you princess.” He gave dinner another stir. “Mainly because it's what my dad calls my mom when he's annoyed with her.”

“I think you can find something.” She bit into the bread, shifting her gaze to the window; while the storm had quit, the wind kept the snow stirred up enough one might think it hadn't. At least food finally tasted decent again; everything she'd eaten during heat barely registered in terms of flavor. “I like it when you call me Sweetheart.”

“Well, you are my sweetheart,” he replied, taking out two bowls. “But at the same time, it doesn't sound quite in the same vein, if you get my meaning.”

“I do.” She watched as he dropped the last of the chopped veggies into the pot, taking another bite of bread. Strange how the domesticity of their lives still felt unreal every now and then. Even though she was an omega, she never quite expected to find an alpha quite like Ben. Not with her upbringing.

He brought the bowls over to the table, setting them down before he sat, “Don't worry about the dishes, I know how tired you are.”

“I should do something to help,” she countered, reaching for her fork. “Seriously.”

“I'm going to tuck you into bed when we're done here. You need sleep.” He picked up his own glass of water, smiling, “Little Mother.”

*

Ben added a few logs into the stove before coming upstairs. He'd have to come down at least once in the night to keep the fire fed, but better keep the flames alive than have to start over from scratch in the morning or in the middle of the night. The house stayed warmer with it lit; and given the wind, another storm would blow into Yellowstone before next week. Few more blizzards, and the house could possibly become buried in snow. “You awake?”

“Yes,.” Rey answered from the bed, her back to him. “The noise of the stove door shutting woke me. I think.”

He went over to the dresser, changing quickly out of his jeans and sweater into sleep pants. “You might feel like staying in bed all day tomorrow, and if you want to, I'm perfectly happy to let you.”

“You're getting fussy,” she mumbled as he sat on the bed, trimming the wick of the hurricane lamp.

“I thought we established some months ago I'm naturally fussy.” He ran a hand through his hair as she sat up, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. “Someone in the mood for a snuggle?” He kissed her hand, smiling.

“Well, we haven't exactly had an entirely coherent conversation during these times in the past few days.” Rey let out a soft sigh, “I'm just... well...”

“I know, it's sort of strange.” He moved so he could hold her, rubbing her back in slow circles. “When you know with almost perfect certainty of something....” his other hand slid under her shirt to rest on her stomach, “but you feel you need some kind of confirmation, proof it wasn't a dream, or some other sort of...” he shook his head.

“We know what's happened.” She nuzzled against his collarbone. “We planned for my becoming pregnant. But at the same time, it feels...” she sighed, “like it couldn't have happened so easily.”

“We've read too many books and seen too many movies,” he countered, kissing the top of her head as his hand slid higher, cupping her breast, heavy in his palm. “It took two weeks after your heat for your milk to stop after...”

“After you stopped drinking,” she replied, kissing the bottom of his chin. “It's not like lactation stops within hours of my falling pregnant.” She slid off his lap, unbuttoning the front of her shirt and parting it.

Ben inhaled sharply, the lingering traces of his rut going through his mind at the sight. “Rey...”

She shook her head as she laid back down, smiling up at him. “You haven't indulged since this morning,” she raised her arms over her head, and in the lamp light, he could see milk clinging to each of the stiff peaks. “Hungry?”

“Starving,” He slid a hand onto her stomach, “come this time next year, I'll watch you nurse our babe...” He flicked his gaze to hers. “Babes. I know I've filled your belly with twins.” He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. “Little Mother.” He laid down on his side, flicking her left nipple with his tongue.

“I won't stay little for long,” Rey let out a breath as he closed his mouth around the stiff peak, sucking slowly, resisting the urge to groan at the taste. “Not with Daddy Alpha's babies growing in me.” Her hand slid into his hair.

He looked up at her as he suckled, smiling against her skin. His beautiful omega; the hand on her stomach moved in slow circles, the alpha part of him longing to see her body change. The bony look would fade as her pregnancy progressed, her hollow places filling in... fuck, he would have twice the trouble keeping his hands off of her. He gave the nipple a gentle tug before releasing it. “Which would you like, darling? A post-heat snuggle, a post-heat fuck, or a post heat fuck followed by a snuggle?”

Rey's hand moved down to his cheek and she smiled. “Make love to me, Ben, please?”

He smiled, kissing her forehead, followed by each of her cheeks, and lastly, gently, on her lips. “As my lady wishes.”


	2. April 1970

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It may be April, but winter still has a firm grip on the Yellowstone area. But it's not wintry enough to keep away Ben's parents for a long overdue meeting and visit.

April should not feel so cold. Rey stuffed her hands into her coat pockets, moving resolutely down the wooden planks of the Upper Geyser Basin. Few tourists had ventured into the park at this point, with heaps of snow still littering the ground, and those who had came for the cross-country skiing, rather than natural wonders. She paused at a turning, looking back towards Yellowstone Lodge, and shook her head, giving a pool of bubbling mud a cursory look before continuing on.

The smell of sulfur didn't bother her.

Growing up in London, she'd smelled far worse; at least one could consider sulfur a natural smell. Given what the Tube smelled like back in England, this at least didn't remain trapped – and other unpleasant scents swiftly got carried away by the wind. Most of the time the trees and the snow made everything smell clean, with the odor of the hot springs and mud an afterthought.

“Rey!” A voice called and she turned to see Finn jogging down the plank path towards her. “Wait up!”

She snickered, stopping as she watched him approach. “Did someone send you after me?”

“Not exactly.” He answered as he reached her, catching his breath. “I can't believe the calendar says it’s April. Feels like February.”

“This is warmer than February.” she countered, “at least the weather report remains clear of snow, for the first time since November?”

“Sound about right.” They continued down the boardwalk. “How you feeling? Overall, not...”

“I know what you mean, Finn.” She grinned, “and I'm doing better now that the morning sickness has stopped.” She took a breath, “well, at least as a constant, instead of every morning.” She slid her hand under her coat to rest on her stomach. “I stick with what the doctor told me; rest and exercise. So I take a good walk in the morning, and have a lie down in the afternoon.”

She didn't want to mention how fussy Ben had started acting. Part endearing and part annoying, she still had trouble with the whole being taken care of aspect of their relationship. After years of having no one but herself, actually having someone – her mind still couldn't adjust, and the pregnancy hormones didn't help.

“Tourist season will start soon enough. Don't tell anyone I said this, but I like the park better without a bunch of people.” He shook his head, “too noisy.”

“It's not so bad.” She managed as they turned onto a path which would lead back towards the lodge. “I think the park rangers have a hell of a job getting tourists to stop feeding the animals. There's a half dozen signs posted every mile of the road.”

“One of the rangers came over to Rose and I's house yesterday, railing about how many deer starved this winter.” he snorted, “if they'd let wolves back in, it'd help take care of the problem.”

“Some people don't see the logic. Wolves kill when they need to eat, and only what they can catch. Primarily the old and the infirm.” she sighed “maybe Rose needs to get a fifth grader to explain animal science to politicians. Leaving the coyotes and foxes to take care of the overpopulation issue won't work.”

“I'm surprised they haven't tried to eliminate them too.” Finn snorted, “though something besides the buzzards have to eat the road kill.”

“Foxes take care of the rodents. Somehow, people don't mind them as much as say, a wolf killing a deer.” She coughed, “like deer are some innocent pure thing.”

“Not when you see what a full grown one can do to a Volkswagen Beetle.” he snorted, “an uphill battle all the way. Although there's always the ranchers in the areas outside the park who will shoot anything which goes near their herd.”

Rey shook her head, “I remember when I was little, some bigwig House of Lords politician shot another man's dog because it looked like a wolf at first glance. Killed this family's beloved pet German Shepherd.”

“A wolf's twice the size of that kind of dog.” Finn retorted, “What happened?”

“The media went nuts.” she let out a breath, “most in favor of the family's justifiable anger. The ones defending the politician – well...”

“Politics is a deadly game.” he set a hand on her back as they started up the stairs. “What I want to know is, what gave the guy the opportunity to shoot the dog in the first place?”

She shook her head, “I don't remember much else... but I would always look at scruffy dogs with pointy ears afterward, wondering how they could get mistaken for a wolf.”

“Bet the guy was drunk.” He let out a breath as they came to the top of the stairs. “Still, poor dog.”

“Yeah.” she put her scarf up against her face as a blast of wind hit them. “Let's go find some place warm.”

“Agreed.” Finn answered and they moved towards the lodge; despite the sun and the date, the piles of snow reminded them winter wasn't going to lose its grip on Wyoming any time soon.

*

Ben felt he'd developed a perfect sprint through the yard to give him the least contact with the snow and minimized the time between car and house. While no longer several feet deep, he continued the stride, rather than risk finding some unseen pocket and sinking up to his waist. He caught his breath as he unlocked the front door and pushed it open. “I'm home.” he kicked snow from his boots as he came into the house, tossing his lunchbox and the mail onto the table before undoing the buttons of his coat. “Rey?”

“Kitchen,” she called, “your meetings run long again?”

“Yeah.” He hung up his coat and finished taking off his wraps, “I can't place new sensors until the snow melts and stays gone.” He wiped his feet as he stuffed his mittens into the pockets of his coat and crossed over to the other part of the house. “You have a good walk with Finn?”

“Uh huh.” She replied, not looking up from the pot on the stove, “and yes, I had a nice nap too.”

“Sass.” He leaned against the door frame, smiling. “My parents wrote us, no doubt planning on heading this way as soon as they can.” He watched her for a moment, feeling content. “You're not nervous about meeting them, are you?”

“I've spoken to them on the phone, Ben.” she smiled, “I think you're the one who's worried.” Rey finally looked up at him, “I'm starting to think worried is your constant state of mind.”

“Really?” He moved over to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her and nuzzling her neck. “I thought it was amorous.”

“Ben!” she shrieked, “your face is cold!”

“And you're warm. I want to be warm too, Gatáki.” He chuckled, tightening his hold, nipping her ear. He'd started calling Rey the Greek word for kitten shortly after the new year. “How are you feeling this afternoon?”

“You're wicked, Alpha.” She nudged him back and he lifted his head, resting it on top of hers. “Dinner still needs to cook.” she indicated the pot of soup. “Though it’s about at simmering time.” She tapped the spoon against the rim before setting it down. “no time for funny business.”

He chuckled, kissing the top of her head before spreading his hands over her middle. “Maybe you're right, I am worried.” He closed his eyes, humming lightly. “And I already know my parents have plans to embarrass me. You, they'll love. Me, they're going to give me all of the grief they've held back in their phone calls and letters.”

“You're exaggerating. Han and Leia always sound perfectly nice.” her hands came down to rest on his wrists. “or are you worried your mom's going to take one look at my condition and refuse to leave for the rest of the year?”

“She might.” He smoothed his hands over her stomach. “or at the very least, call more often.”

“The good news is, they plan to stay at the lodge, not with us.” he paused, “am I territorial?” He'd never exactly noticed if his behavior was off; the time shortly before he went into rut not included, and he usually thought his personality was simply normal, never knowing any different... “and no, I don't mean about covers or the bed.”

“Not aggressively so; given the only other alpha I regularly encounter is a female, you have little cause to act so.” she giggled as he nuzzled her neck again, “although you do like to make sure I always smell like you.” She turned in his arms, kissing his chin. “which I don't mind at all.” She pulled away from him, going over to the pantry.

Ben leaned back against the counter. “One thing I do know is, my mother's going to take you into Cody to see the doctor at least once while she's here. Make sure everything's fine, because she won't believe either of us.”

Rey smiled, “I won't mind.” her hand moved to her stomach. “These ARE her grandchildren, mate. And since you're her only baby, she's going to fuss...” she snickered, “if half of what you've told me is true, she'll get on the phone back in Annapolis and we'll start receiving everything we could possibly need, from clothes to diapers to bottles.”

“Oh the mail carrier will start to love us.” he ran a hand through his hair before picking up the kettle and taking it over to the sink to fill it. “I'm going to make some tea. Chamomile?”

“Sounds perfect.” she came back from the pantry with the tea tin and a box of crackers. “You don't think your parents will show up tomorrow, do you?”

Ben frowned, “they would call us first, give us at least two days warning.” He jolted as the phone began to ring. “Oh hell...”

Rey gave him a look as she crossed to the phone and picked it up. “Hello, Solo house in Yellowstone, please be aware this is a party line.”

He put the kettle on the stove as he saw his mate's eyes widen, and he instantly knew who was on the other end.

“One moment.” She grinned at him, “Ben, it's your mom.”

“We have to stop doing that.” he came over and took the receiver. “Hi, mom, how's the weather in Maryland?”

“I'm perfectly well, thank you. Your father and I are in Rapid City, so I can't tell you about the weather there.” she cleared her throat. “We'll be there around this time tomorrow. Don't go to any fuss.” She sounded far too chipper for his taste. “I'm bringing you a camera, young man, because if I don't, I won't have any photographs of the baby until they're in grade school.”

“Mo-om, Rey's not due until September.” He felt his cheeks go pink. “I'd get a camera before then.” He shot a look at Rey, who had taken out two mugs, doing an extremely poor job of not appearing to eavesdrop.

“Of course you would, and forget the film, or not get the right kind.” His mother made a tutting noise. “Now, is there anything the two of you need that you can't get in Cody? I'm going to the K-Mart here before we leave. Bring you a variety of snack-ish things.”

“Snack-ish?” Ben frowned, “I don't think...”

“Now, I know Rey's only four months along, but the food cravings hit hard in the fifth month. At least, mine did, and I remember exactly what I wanted.” She carried on, clearly oblivious to his discomfort. “I ate so many pickles... and Oreos.”

“Together?” He intoned, and he saw Rey open the little packages of tea. “Uh, actually, Mom? We do need something.”

“Oh? What is it, honey?” Finally, she sounded normal again.

“An assortment of tea. The market in Cody doesn't exactly have a huge selection, and Rey's not drinking coffee, so we tend to go through the boxes we have pretty fast.” he leaned against the wall. “Please.”

“Ginger.” Rey said, “if there's ginger tea, please bring some.”

“Ginger tea, and some of those big crossword puzzle books.” He let out a breath, “how's the weather?”

*

Rey swept the dusting of snow off the front porch, more out of something to keep occupied than necessity. Han and Leia would arrive within the hour, and Ben still hadn't returned from the ranger's station; park patrol had come by this morning, worried about a geyser whose irregular eruptions had started to actually become regular. Nothing serious, Ben assured her; these things happened all the time.

Like tremors along the California coastline.

She wasn't certain if she could face her in-laws alone. Kicking snow free of the broom, she went back inside, and made an effort to tidy up the living room. She twisted the wedding band on her left hand, wishing she had some laundry to fold or dishes to wash to hide her nervousness. Maybe if they both weren't alphas – this whole process felt...

“Calm down.” She stood in the middle of the room, pressing a hand on her sternum. “There is nothing wrong about Ben and I,” she rubbed her temple, looking for anything out of place; a sock, a shoe... “I am acting far too silly about this.” she went into the kitchen and filled the kettle, setting it on a burner, but not turning the stove on. “One less thing to do.”

Rey jumped as a knock sounded on the front door. “Oh damn...” she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she crossed the living room, glancing out the window before unlocking the door and opening it to face Ben's parents. “You're early.”

“Weather report had us worried.” Leia came inside first; Rey had thought Rose an unlikely alpha, but Ben's mother surpassed her; the way she carried herself left no doubt to her status. Her husband followed after, looking a little more relaxed and well, alpha-ish. “Though we're done with flurries and dustings in Maryland. Who'd think it was still winter in Wyoming?”

Rey blinked at the two as she shut the door, “Alaska called this morning, they're jealous of our forecast.”

“Don't crowd the girl, Leia.” Han said as he took his wife's coat, hanging it up before removing his own. “We fairly barged in here.”

“You're the one who wouldn't let me drive until we got on this side of the Mississippi.” She frowned, looking Rey over. “Goodness, young lady, you're certain you're not due until September?”

She folded her arms in reply, feeling her spine stiffen. “Until a few months ago, I was skinny,” she paused, “skinnier than normal.” she lifted her chin, doing her best not to cower. “you can ask Ben when he gets back.”

“Hm.” the woman narrowed her eyes and shot a look at her husband. “What's with the smirk?”

“Nothing.” Han answered and turned to Rey. “Would you mind terribly if she gave you a hug? She's longing to do it, but I think she suspects you'll claw her face off if she tries without asking.”

“Oh this is great, just great... I get to listen to three of you.” Rey threw up her hands. “I'm going to go put the kettle on. If you want a hug, follow me to the kitchen.” She turned the dial on the stove, ignoring her in-laws light bickering as she leaned against the counter. “Ben, get back here.” she muttered.

“Don't go poking about Han, it's rude.” Leia's voice echoed in the living room before she came into the kitchen. “I'm sorry about my behavior, dear.” she sighed, “we only gave you two a one day warning. We should have called the day we left Maryland.”

“Maybe you both thought the other one did, and didn't realize it until you checked into the motel in Rapid City.” she gave the woman a look, “or something?”

“Sass.” Leia chuckled and opened her arms.

Pushing herself off from the counter, Rey moved forward and wrapped her arms around her mother-in-law's middle, relaxing into her embrace. She smelled of some kind of flower, one she knew, but could not name.

“Oh, you need a few of these, I can tell.” She kissed her temple, smoothing her hair. “I don't know if you're aware, but I was born with a mouth which tends to work faster than my brain, and my mate's not much better.”

“Ben might have mentioned it.” she mumbled against the woman's neck. “he did, however, fail to mention neither of his parents are as tall as him.”

“Ha!” Leia let go of her, kissing her cheek. “You have sass, exactly what Ben needs in his life.”

The kettle whistled and Rey straightened up, moving the pot aside and setting the mugs in a row. “If you're looking for pure sass, I suggest you talk to our neighbors on the other side of the ridge.”

“Nonsense.” she picked up the tea-tin from the counter. “We came out to see the two of you, not anyone else.” she patted Rey's arm. “I can do this, you have yourself a seat at the table. Your routine is altered and you need a rest.” Rather than argue, she did as bid, the front door opening and closing as Leia brought two mugs to the table. “Han's going to bring some things in before going down to the Lodge.” she smiled, “where's Ben?”

“He had to go talk to the park rangers, they're concerned about a geyser they think is acting abnormally.” she opened the little packet of chamomile tea and took out the bag, dropping it into the hot water. “Odds are there's nothing wrong at all, other than a dying clock battery and both men forgot to wind their watches.”

“I can believe it.” she dropped a packet of apple cinnamon tea into her own mug. “I've seen white shirts turned the most absurd colors because someone threw in a pair of socks in the hot wash.”

Rey managed a grin, “did you need milk?” she indicated the mug.

“No, dear.” she smiled, “the only person in my family who likes milk is Ben. I have no idea where he gets it from.”

To her credit, she kept her face perfectly calm. She knew full well about her mate's desire for milk. “I found that out when we bought groceries for the first time, I couldn't believe that two people would drink a gallon of milk in a week, but I consider it lucky if I get more than what I put on my cereal.”

*

Ben's parents insisted on all of them having dinner at the Lodge together. He wouldn't say it out loud, but more food was on the table than he and Rey usually ate in a week. Family style dining – something he never really cared for, until now. With three alphas and one pregnant omega, they would, no doubt, leave next to nothing behind of the spread. He squeezed Rey's knee under the table as she slowly lathered a roll with jam. “Did you run into much construction on the way here?”

“No, thankfully.” His dad offered, picking up the bowl of green beans and scooping some onto his plate. “The traffic in St Louis is nothing compared to the Beltway.”

“And how.” his mother added, “we wanted to get out to see you two before the season started.” she nudged the bowl of hominy towards Rey. “You want a little more, dear?”

Rey shook her head, biting into her bread. He moved his hand to the small of her back, moving it in slow circles. “I missed my nap.”

“Tomorrow's Saturday, we can all have a lie in.” Dad remarked, picking up his glass of soda. “I can't believe these people think iced tea has a season.”

“They think chili has a season.” Rey stated, not looking up from her plate as she put the bread down and picked up her fork, stabbing her mashed potatoes, “I can understand fruits and vegetables having a season, but not something like soup.”

“Makes no sense.” Ben moved his hand up his mate's spine, “except to the people who decide these things.”

“We don't want to make the effort.” His mom stated, pulling the hominy back towards her and taking a spoonful. “But I think a good night's sleep is in order for all of us.” she looked from him to Rey. “I mean it.”

He felt his ears go pink. “Moth-er.”

“It won't be a problem, Leia.” Rey interjected. “It's likely I'll fall asleep in the van on the way back to the house.”

“You can fall asleep right here if you want.” He kissed the top of her head as she bit into her roll. “After you finish your dinner.”

“Leia, these two kids are too cute for words.” His dad chuckled, “here we thought Ben would never settle down, and now look at him.” He waved his hand from son to daughter in law. “Your friends should go mad with envy when you tell them about Rey here.”

“I'm not exactly impressive, Mr. Solo.” Rey said more to her food than to anyone.

“Dad...” Ben took a breath, “please.”

“Benjamin, you know full well we do not know how to function like other families. Too many strong personalities.” His mother sighed, “afraid you're getting a face full of it tonight, Rey.”

She managed a smile, “I can manage. I've contended with worse.” She straightened, “and they didn't offer me food. Our routine is thrown off, and when you've had the routine established for months, it's hard to adjust, even for a handful of days.”

“That it is, kiddo, that it is.” Dad set his glass down, “don't let Leia talk you into things you don't need. The china and silver pattern nonsense.”

“Silver pattern?” Rey frowned, “what do you mean?”

“I won't even start.” His mother laughed, “besides, I brought the silver with me. You know as well as I do, Han, Ben's had his eyes on his grandmother's Buttercup flatware forever. It's too cheerful for me.”

Ben felt his ears go even pinker. “I saw the box on the kitchen table mom, you snuck it inside while Rey was changing for dinner. You didn't need to bring it. We're not having fancy dinner parties here, or formal dinners alone.”

“Humph. It's flatware young man, not Tiffany china. You don't even have a hutch.” she looked the table over, “please pass the green beans, Han.” He handed the bowl to her, taking another piece of fried chicken from the platter in the center of the table at the same time. “Think of it as a start to setting up the household.”

“Thank you.” Rey intoned, taking a drumstick from the platter. “Though I wouldn't reject something along the lines of a toaster oven.”

Ben chuckled, sliding his hand back down to the small of her back. “You're right, we don't have one of those.”

“You also have nothing for the baby.” His mother sniffed, “we're going to have to do something about that too.”

*

Rey laid her coat over the handle of the shopping cart, deciding the best course of action as she followed in Leia's wake into the baby section of Sears was to remain calm. Having grown up with little in the clothing department and never having got into the whole shopping thing so many of her designation did, she had little concern over the matter of fashion. “Ben told me not to let you go to too much trouble.”

“Ben's too old to spoil.” Leia answered, not looking at her as she thumbed through a rack of long sleeved rompers. “Now, if you need to sit down, you tell me.” she pulled a green and blue striped one from the row. “You don't hold to the whole nonsense of blue's only for boys, do you?”

She snickered, “no. But I do draw the line at putting frills on boys.” She rubbed her stomach, “though I thought frills for all babies are pointless, unless you're having a professional photo taken.”

“Quite right.” Leia smiled as she looked at the size of the garment. “all these winter things are on sale, and the baby will fit them come January.”

“Babies.” Rey answered automatically and instantly realized she didn't know if Ben had told his parents that she was carrying twins.

Leia looked from her stomach to her face and shook her head, “I should have known. It explains...” she tutted, looking abashed, “sorry.”

“Don't worry.” she flipped through the part of the rack nearest to her. “We should have let you know.”

“You know as well as I do Ben doesn't volunteer information.” she pulled out a second green and blue striped romper. “Do you object to dressing them identically?”

“We don't know if the babies are identical, but I don't mind...” Rey rubbed the leg of another romper, this one red and grey striped, between her forefinger and thumb. “as long as we know which one is which.”

“We're sticking with neutral clothing for now.” Her mother in law pulled out two purple and gray striped rompers. “Save gender specific things for Christmas.” She added two green and blue ones as well. “Fortunately, cribs these days are big enough for two.”

“It's all fun and adorable until one of them wakes the other one up.” she skirted around to the other side of the rack. “This is cute.” she picked up a white romper scattered with ducklings. “or is this impractical?”

Leia chuckled, “if you're worried about stains, you need to stop and not think about such things until your children are old enough to know what stains and what doesn't.” she looked the clothing over, “and even then, it usually doesn't help. Anyone who said girls aren't as messy as boys has no idea what they're talking about.” she checked the price tag. “these things are only seventy-five cents. You look for the newborn to three month sizes, I'll look for the next bracket. You and Ben will need plenty of clothes.”

Rey managed a smile, her hand moving down to cup her stomach. “thank you.”

“Oh, I've only got one baby, and whether you and he like it or not, it's a grandmother's prerogative to spoil her grandchildren rotten.” she looked her over. “Remember, if you need to sit and rest, you tell me, you hear?”

“Yes, ma'am.” She gave the woman a mock salute before picking up another duckling romper. Even if the twins weren't identical, there was nothing wrong with dressing them up in matching outfits - from time to time.

*

The second bedroom looked a great deal more crowded with two cribs and a rocking chair added to it. He wanted to blame the sloping ceiling of the A-frame house, but somehow, those two cribs, waiting for occupants whose arrival remained months away, made everything seem more real. Ben and his father had moved most of the things stored in this room to the space above the kitchen, and now, the once open and airy house didn't look so spacious.

Not exactly the sort of home for a family, not permanently.

“You know, you can always move to Cody.” His dad's voice cut into his thoughts and he shook his head, “seriously, Ben. This house will start to feel downright tiny come this time next year. And seriously, it's not a bad commute. You can leave things set up here for whatever you need for your job...”

“Dad...” he gave the man a look and shoved his hands into his pockets, looking around the second bedroom. “Okay, you have a point. But I like this house.”

“Houses are just houses, young man. It's the occupants who make it a home.” He shook his head, heading for the stairs. “There's not enough walls in this place and I'm certain there are things you'd rather your children didn't hear. Or interrupt.”

Ben's face went full pink as he followed the man. “Da-ad.”

“I'm not blind, Ben Solo. I know full well what you and Rey get up to, and, from the looks of things, quite regularly.” He reached the bottom of the stairs. “This is a house for betas.”

Still grimacing, he had to concede the point to his father; the place worked for him and Rey, but for them and babies? Maybe not so much. Besides, too many things around here seemed a hazard to infants. Particularly if he wasn't here to help Rey run after said infants. “Houses require a lot of work.”

“Ben, this isn't as complicated as you think. You find a house in Cody, pay the neighbor kid a few bucks to mow your lawn, and your mom and I will ship the furniture you left at our house to you, plus a few more things we have. You know your mom's wanted to get rid of the green sofa in the living room for years.”

“You make it sound simple.” He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Although, you have a point. It's something to talk about.” He glanced back up towards the bedrooms. “Means taking the cribs apart.”

“Bosh, That's nothing for you.” Han slapped him on the back, moving towards the kitchen. “so it's a couple of trips from here to there. You have chains for your car's tires, so you don't need to worry come winter. And you don't need to move tomorrow, but you're going to want to move before the babies get here.”

He went into the pantry and grabbed the box of rice as he heard the front door open. “Mom and Rey are back.”

“Perfect! We'll see what they have to say on the subject.” His dad laughed and Ben rolled his eyes. He'd have rather talked the matter over with his mate alone before it became tabled for discussion. A typical scene from his childhood repeated over and over – three alphas, all of them wanting to take control.

Ben pulled down a few more things they would need to make dinner and came out of the pantry, keeping his temper in check. He arranged the boxes on the counter as Rey skirted over to the back door, going outside and shutting it firmly behind her. “What the hell?” He shot a look towards the front of the house before following, his concern only growing as he reached her. “Rey?”

“I needed air.” the words sounded weak, and she coughed. “I just...”

He frowned, wrapping an arm around her. “What you're going to do is freeze your butt off if you stay out here.” he looked back towards the house. “I know you're past due for your nap.” He kissed the top of her head. “My mother didn't drag you all over town without a rest, did she?”

She shook her head. “No, but I...” she sighed, “I want to be alone for a while.”

He kissed her forehead, “I can arrange for that, but first, I want you to come inside. I can chase my parents out of here, believe it or not.”

Rey snickered, “why do I have my doubts?”

“Watch me.” He wrapped an arm around her legs, carrying her across the short distance back to the house, setting her down in the kitchen. “Visiting hours are over for this afternoon.” he yelled, leaving her in the kitchen and coming into the living room, where his parents were sitting on the couch, the familiar stance he remembered from growing up; the 'we need to talk about things' arrangement.

“Ben..” his mother stood, “we just...”

“Later. Tomorrow. We're done.” He folded his arms, looking from Leia to Han. “You want to come back in three hours for dinner, sure, fine, no problem. We need some time right now.”

“Time.” Han snickered, “time for...” he fell quiet as Ben felt Rey's arms slip around his waist and he lifted his, a little surprised when he found her wrapping around him in a clearly possessive stance.

“You've come all the way to Yellowstone and haven't seen a thing in the park yet.” She intoned, her voice dripping with sweetness. “This is one of the nicest days we've had in awhile. If you wait until next week, you might face worse weather.”

“Han, she has a point.” His mother stood, picking up her coat. “Besides, Rey clearly needs a rest, and I'm certain Ben has some things to do for work.” She tossed her husband his coat.

Ben was still staring at the closed door in shock as he heard his parent's car start up and pull out of the drive. “What the hell was that?”

“We got what we wanted, love.” Rey kissed his cheek. “Alone time. I'm going to go lie down for a little while.” she yawned and pulled away from him. “Don't stand there with your mouth hanging open, a bug will fly into it.”

He shook himself, watching her go up the stairs. “Sass. I'll wake you up before dinner.” He glanced towards the door. “You think they'll be back?”

“Not tonight.” She called, chuckling. “Never question the miracles, just embrace them.”

He snickered, going towards his office. “I won't, Gatáki, I won't.”

*

Rey tucked the pillow under her chin, relieved she and Ben had managed to get her in-laws to leave for the day. The whole of the visit, which had so far only lasted four days, felt like two weeks. Maybe if she'd had time to prepare a little more for having three alphas in the house, she might manage better. She didn't mind when Ben fussed over her, hell, even Rose had done it from time to time – but to have two more alphas whom she barely knew join in?

Frustrating as all get out.

The bed shifted behind her and she smiled as Ben's hand moved down her back. “Hey, Sleeping Beauty, you want some dinner?”

“Tempting.” she burrowed her face into the pillow. “but I'm comfortable here.”

“I can see you are.” he chuckled, nuzzling her neck. “This bed is quite cozy.” His arm came around her waist, his hand slipping under her shirt to rest on her stomach. “And as much as I would love to let you stay put, you need to eat.” He kissed the spot behind her ear. “I brought the bags upstairs and put them in the other room. I think my mother went a little overboard.” He helped her sit up. “I'll bring you a pair of sweats.”

“Thanks.” She rubbed her eyes, “well, all the winter clothes for babies were on the clearance rack. Might as well get them when there's plenty and they're cheap.” She covered a yawn, “we know how cold winter gets.”

“Point.” he handed her pants, helping her stand and put them on. “Curried rice for dinner, afraid I can't do as good of a job on it as Rose does.”

“Rose has a wok.” Rey countered as they went downstairs. “She also learned how to make it from a long line of Vietnamese grandmothers, who have known how to make the stuff since before France decided to build an Empire.” She stretched her arms, following him into the kitchen. “Smells good.”

“Yeah.” He stated as she sat down at the table. “I'm just glad you feel like eating regularly again.” Ben let out a yawn as he brought serving bowls over. “What do you think of moving to Cody?”

She stared at him. “Cody?” she bit her lip, “what's wrong with this house?”

“Nothing at the moment.” He slid into his chair across from her. “But come this time next year, the lack of walls are going to become a major factor in our lives.”

She frowned, rubbing her stomach, knowing Ben had a point. “But it's peaceful here.”

“Cody's a town of less than six thousand people. We can find a quiet street.” He ran a hand through his hair. “This house technically belongs to the USGS, and I can keep the work things here.” he picked up her plate and started to fill it. “We don't have to make any decisions tonight. But I know full well my parents will drag us into town to look at houses tomorrow regardless.” He set the plate back down. “Eat your dinner like a good little omega.”

Rey picked up her fork, giving him a look. “Keep talking like that, and I may make you sleep on the couch again.” she mixed the curry and rice on her plate. “There's so much work involved in a house. Keeping it in good order, and I'm not just talking about keeping it clean.”

“Don't worry, Gatáki, I don't want to move into a house where we have to do more than give it a once over with a broom and sponge and possibly change a room's paint color.” He filled his own plate. “It's not that I can't fix things, I'd rather not do it first thing.” He gave her a half-smile. “We're not going to let my parents talk us into making a decision before they leave.”

She wiped at the corners of her mouth. “I wouldn't mind living a little closer to the hospital... just in case...” she rubbed her stomach. “just in case I need to get there and I can't get a hold of you.”

“Point.” His foot nudged hers under the table. “Who knows, maybe we'll have neighbors whose grandchildren all live on the other side of the country and they need someone to fuss over.”

Rey adjusted her hold on the fork. She'd known a few grandmotherly people growing up – always good for a biscuit, a cup of tea, and she learned not to mind when they repeated the same stories over and over. Not if it meant a second biscuit plus a third to eat on the walk home. “Point. Not to mention, eventually the kids will go to school.” she chuckled at his expression. “I know, hard to think about things like school when they're not even born, but babies grow up fast.”

Ben rubbed the back of her ankle with his foot. “And you know this, how?”

“Group home.” She answered, “And it doesn't matter if these two look nothing alike, they will get called by the wrong name over and over.” she grinned, “I stopped keeping track of how many times I got called Mary, Alice, and Pauline by the time I turned ten.” She speared a piece of chicken on her fork. “Eat your dinner, Ben.”

“Gatáki.” he smirked, his foot remaining in place as he took a drink of water. “Would you mind a snuggle before bed?”

She looked him through her eyelashes. “I'd love one, Daddy Alpha.”

*

Rock salt crunched under their boots as the four of them walked up the path in the wake of the realtor, who seemed far too enthusiastic at this time of the morning for Ben's taste. Of course, it wasn't like people waltzed around, looking at houses for sale every day in April in Wyoming. Not with snow still on the ground. He set a hand against the small of Rey's back, glancing across the street from the red brick house; an overly large Victorian home, the sign in the yard declaring it the Stardust Bed and Breakfast.

How quaint.

The whole of this part of Cody fell into that category.

He shook his head as they went up the stairs, relieved his parents had waited for him and Rey to enter the home first. On the previous two homes, they had gone ahead and started pointing out flaws before he and Rey had time to take their coats off. The interior, much to his relief, didn't need much more than a good cleaning.

“This is cute.” Rey stepped into the living room, slowly pulling off her coat. “I like the hardwood floors.”

He came over and took the coat from her, setting on the long bench that ran along the front window. “Is this a church pew?” He asked the realtor as he shut the door.

“I believe so. What furniture is in the house, comes with the house.” He glanced at his parents before turning his attention to him and Rey. “Another foursquare, like the first house.” He walked through the living room, “there's a second fireplace upstairs.”

Ben kept his hand on his mate's back as they walked into the dining room, where a farm table stood, benches on the long sides, and chairs at either end. A china hutch stood against the wall. It needed more cleaning than anything else they'd seen. “It's homey.” he offered as they glanced into the kitchen.

At least this looked like it was updated sometime between now and nineteen sixty five.

“This isn't quaint, it's old.” His father stated, “really...”

“Are you going to live in this house, or are Ben and I going to?” Rey's voice cut in, sharp. The tone was so unlike her, his father stepped back, holding his hands up. “Don't say another thing, unless it's positive.”

His mother's nose wrinkled and she set a hand on Han's arm. “Why don't we let the kids look this place over in peace, we'll take a look outside and find somewhere to eat lunch in a little bit. If I'm hungry, I'm sure these two are.”

“Something funny's going on around here.” His father muttered as Leia took him outside.

The realtor watched them go before turning back to them. “I take it your father has never spent any time around an omega when they're territorial?” He gave Rey an understanding smile. “I have five omega siblings, I know exactly where you're coming from, Mrs. Solo.” He stepped through the doorway. “Powder room right here off the kitchen.”

“Oh, there's another porch on the back.” Rey stated as she moved into the next room. “And counter space.” she paused, “laundry?”

“Washer only, Mrs. Solo. There's a laundromat down the street.” the realtor answered.

Ben followed after them, smiling as he watched Rey open the door of the pantry. “Well, that's handy come wintertime.” he looked out into the backyard, a carport and shed off to his right. The outdoor space a little less threatening than the woods of Yellowstone. A tall wooden fence marked the end of the property, and beyond it, he could see a parking lot, the trees obscuring the building attached to it. “What's over there?”

“Roosevelt Elementary.” the man answered, “you may have kids cutting across your yard to walk home.”

He felt Rey's arm wrap around his waist and he smiled. This was a fairly decent house. “Bedrooms all upstairs?”

“Yes,” the man moved back into the living room. “Two more baths as well.”

*

The rest of the visit passed without the topic of moving to Cody coming back up. Rey didn't believe her in-laws had forgotten, she knew full well the subject might as well get a place at the table in the lodge's dining room for the meal tonight. She quietly served herself a few spoonfuls of peas, hating the tense mood. She passed the bowl to Ben before taking a chicken thigh from the platter in the center of the table.

“What time are you planning on heading out tomorrow?” Ben took the offered bowl of potatoes from his mother.

“A little after eight.” Han sighed, “get to Rapid City by sundown.” He cleared his throat, “don't worry, we can say our goodbyes tonight and spare you a sob fest in the morning.”

Leia snorted. “Sob fest my foot. The one who's going to have tears is you.” She poured gravy over her mashed potatoes. “The trip back is always shorter, I don't care what anyone says.”

“Make sure you go east and not west.” Ben quipped, “you'll likely not notice until you're in the middle of Idaho.”

“Now, I've only gone the wrong way once.” Han stated, and Rey saw the pink in his ears.

“Yeah, and you didn't notice a damn thing until we saw signs for Gettysburg.” Leia admonished, “how you confuse Pennsylvania for North Carolina, I have no idea.” She gave Rey's plate a once over. “You have enough there, dear?”

“I'm fine.” She scooped up peas with the help of her mashed potatoes. “Just tired. I think tired is my default feeling these days.”

Ben's knuckles rubbed along the base of her spine. “You can nap all day tomorrow, if you want.”

“Maybe.” She tilted her head onto his shoulder. “eat your dinner, I know you're hungry.” she sat up straight, putting her fork down and picking up a piece of chicken. “and you forgot your lunch this morning.”

“I did.” His hand fell away as he turned his attention to his plate. “Shame we can't get information on where all the road construction is located.”

“We'll manage.” Leia waved her hand, clearly not giving a thought to things like traffic snarls on the Great Plains. “You two thought about the houses any?”

Rey didn't answer, choosing to take a large bite of chicken instead. She and Ben hadn't exactly had time to discuss the matter, and people weren't exactly swarming into Cody, wanting to purchase a home in April. She shot a look at Ben, who had set down his glass.

“It's on our plans for this weekend, Mom.” His hand squeezed her knee under the table. “I'd have to talk with my supervisors, among other things. The house here in Yellowstone isn't exactly mine. I still have to maintain it as part of my job.”

“So you'll have a glorified office.” Han stated, “now, if you don't...”

“Dad, drop it.” The sharpness in Ben's voice made Rey start. “You make it sound like we can get everything done over the course of a weekend. It's not exactly easy. I mean, you and mom inherited the house in Annapolis.”

“Han, he has a point.” Leia put in. “Besides, he's a grown man, he's able to do things on his own. He's not helpless.”

“Leia...”

“Am I not sitting at this table?” Ben directed this at Rey. “I'm still here, right?”  
“Yes.” She nudged his leg with hers. “Or maybe we're both invisible.” She took another bite of chicken, his hand on her leg moving higher to rest on her thigh. “What are you up to?”

“You'll find out later tonight.” He leaned over and placed a quick kiss on her neck.

“Benjamin Solo! We are in public!” Leia cried, indignantly.

“Oh, we're not invisible.” he kissed Rey's temple before picking up his fork, acting as if nothing had happened. “What were you saying about the house, Mom?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta read by fettuccine-alfreylo


	3. Mid-Summer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> June brings changes for Rey and Ben. A new home, new neighbors - and a part of Rey's past catches up with her.

June barely deserved the name of summer. If the weather could remain this way in Cody year-round, the entire world would want to live here. Rubbing a sore spot on her back, Rey set the last of the freshly laundered rompers in the dresser door, looking around the sunny, cheerful bedroom she and Ben had picked for the nursery. She loved the light green walls, she didn't even mind how cramped the room looked with two cribs, a dresser and a changing table. The need for the twins to have separate rooms wouldn't arise for at least a few years.

This house would work for quite a while; true, it may come to the point where one bedroom was designated for the boys and another for girls, but growing up the way she had, Rey couldn't fathom what one would do with a room of their own if they had one. Bedrooms were for sleeping and changing clothes, nothing else.

Homework was done at the kitchen table.

When she had needed alone time as a child, she'd escaped to the corridors of London's many museums, letting herself get lost amid great works of art, or history. If all else failed, there was always the library. Libraries had proven a refuge to both her and Ben during their youth.

They had moved to the house here in Cody last weekend, and, even with as few things as they owned, unpacking remained unfinished. Ben forbade her to lift anything heavier than a stack of four plates, which meant she couldn't do much to help the process while he went to work. She didn't think carrying the laundry in a wagon counted as heavy lifting.

She was alone in their new home for the first time and she felt at a bit of a loss.

“We're going to be so happy here.” Rey smiled, pressing her hand against her belly as she felt one of the babies kick her. “Is that your way of telling Mummy to sit down for a bit?” she smiled as the motion repeated itself, this time on the other side. “Alright then, Mummy's going downstairs.”

The stairs with a secure railing alone made her glad they were out of the Yellowstone house. She could picture children easily falling off the edge. “Not designed for crawlers.” Of course, it was hard to think of the babies crawling before they were even born, but at the same time...

The doorbell rang as she reached the foot of the stairs, and she frowned; the prospect of visitors or something similar felt so out of place, not after the months of quiet at Yellowstone. Crossing over to the door, she peered out through the glass before opening it.

An omega male, maybe around Han's age stood there, along with a girl whose age was hard to tell -perhaps twelve.

“Good morning.” Rey looked from man to child, noticing the casserole dish in the girl's hand. A delicious scent was escaping from under the tin foil.

“Good morning.” the man answered brightly. “My name is Cassian Andor, and this is my granddaughter, Victoria.”

“Hi.” the girl wrinkled her nose, and adjusted her grip on the dish in her hand. “How are you?”

“Pretty good.” Rey opened the door a little wider. “How are you?”

“It's still cold here.” She countered, and Cassian chuckled.

“Not every place is as warm as Mexico City.” He shook his head before turning back to Rey. “My wife and I live across the street.” He indicated the Stardust Bed and Breakfast, “we wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood, Mrs...”

“Oh,” she blinked, “Solo. Rey Solo.” She offered her hand, which the man shook. “Would you like to come in?” She let her hand fall back to her stomach.

“No, I'm afraid there is much work to do, tourist season is about to start in earnest.” Cassian said something to Victoria – his Spanish was rapid and quick, it was difficult to make out.

“I'll go put this in your kitchen, Mrs. Solo.” the girl indicated the casserole dish.

“Thank you.” She stepped back to admit the girl. “It's in the back, please leave it on the stove.”

“No problem.” the girl skirted around her, looking bashful. “You like enchiladas, right?”

“I don't think I've ever eaten them. They smell wonderful.” She turned back to Cassian. “I hope you didn't go to too much trouble.”

“I love to cook, Mrs Solo, so it is no bother or trouble at all.” He gave her a once over and his smile grew a little more certain. “I know the holiday is still two weeks away, but you and your husband will come for the picnic on the Fourth, yes?”

“Fourth?” she blinked, and she remembered. “Oh, I'll have to talk it over with Ben, but I imagine we'd love to come.” she moved aside as Victoria returned. “I don't exactly remember all too well what I did last year on the Fourth... I wasn't planning on staying here in the States then.”

“What a difference a year can make.” He smiled, “the idea of celebrating Independence Day doesn't bother you?”

She shook her head, “there's only around three things I miss about England. Scones, museums, and Doctor Who.” she paused, “besides, from what I recall, the Fourth tends to revolve around a lot of food and fireworks. Any holiday involving the consumption of copious amounts of food is always good.”

Cassian and Victoria both laughed in reply.

*

Ben's only worry about moving to Cody was in direct conflict with why they moved to the town in the first place. He liked returning to the house in Yellowstone for lunch to find Rey there. The little house, which belonged to the USGS, was still under his care, so he couldn't exactly sell or rent it out. He offered for Rose use of one of the bedrooms for additional storage she might need, but the home now served as little more than a glorified research office.

Although taking care of things at home and showering before he returned to Cody proved wonderful.

Covering a yawn, he walked up the stairs to the kitchen door, looking over his keys. He'd told Rey explicitly to keep the doors locked, unless he was home. Cody might not exactly have a crime rate like a big city, but a major highway ran by it, and who knew what sort of people were driving through. “I'm paranoid.” he muttered as he unlocked the door and came inside. “Rey, I'm home.”

“In the dining room.” she called, and he shut the door, setting his keys on the counter along with his lunch box. An incredible, spicy scent filled the room. “We've had callers.”

“Callers?” he frowned and came to the doorway, stopping short at the sight of Rey sitting at the table, a spread of casseroles, breads, and assorted baked desserts spread in front of her. “What the...”

“That's what I said.” she gave him a smile, “I wanted to write down who sent what, so I can return the dishes to them, and make correct thank-you cards.” she rubbed her nose. “The Andors left us the enchiladas, They're in the oven reheating.”

He came over and kissed her cheek. “Andors?”

“They live across the street, the bed and breakfast?” she answered, turning her face to kiss his chin. “Welcome home.”

“Thank you.” He sat down on the bench, looking the food over. “Well, at least we're not going to go hungry this week. Probably not next week either.” He reached over and set a hand on her stomach. “How are these two?”

“Tumbling.” She rubbed her belly. “I had to sit down.” she chuckled, “I've also gotten offers of a playpen, high chairs, and hand-me-downs, both clothes and toys.”

He chuckled, “what did you tell them?”

Rey set the pencil down. “I said I'd let them know a little closer to when we need them.” she shook her head. “I don't think I've seen so many pound cakes outside of a bakery in my life.”

He grinned, pulling his hand back and lifting the corner of foil on the nearest casserole dish. “Mushrooms and something.” He put the foil back in place, checking the note on the top. “Lots of bread too. Did we get something from everyone in Cody?”

She laughed, “no, just everyone on this block, and possibly the next.” She rubbed her temple, making one last note before setting the pen down. The buzzer on the oven went off. “Dinner's ready.” she sighed, “I lost track of time and...”

“I'll take care of the serving,” he stood, kissing her cheek again. “You stay put, like a good girl.” He went back to the kitchen and quickly took the dish from the oven. “This smells amazing. They came from the Andors, you said?”

“Yes.” There was a rustle in the other room. “Cassian is the one who made it. I didn't meet his wife, but they're like Finn and Rose, I think.”

Ben nodded, “I imagine with tourist season about to go into full swing, they're busy getting ready.” He took out the plates and started to serve up the food. “I also suspect he doesn't get to make dinner entrees all too often.” he paused, “do you know if this is chicken or if it's pork?”

“Chicken, I believe. He didn't tell me, but it doesn't have the smell of pork, I saw the meat was shredded, and judging from the color, it's not beef. The smell's wrong for fish too.” She chuckled, “sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry about, Darling.” He set a fork on each plate and carried them into the dining room. “I'll be right back with the napkins and lemonade – we still have some, right?”

She grinned, “yes, I can't drink it all. Besides, it's not horribly hot yet.”

“Amen.” he shook his head, “I remember what August was like, even with all the fun of winter we had.” he gathered the rest of things for their meal. “Well, I guess the only thing we're going to have to get at the store is milk and eggs for a little while.”

“Fruits and veggies.” she added as he came back into the room. “Have to enjoy the fresh stuff while it's in season.”

“True.” He sat back down after finishing with the glasses. “No one gave you grief over the wagon and laundry basket, did they?”

“No. And the walk was nice.” she rubbed her stomach again. “I didn't get my nap this afternoon, people kept ringing the doorbell.” She picked up her fork. “Also, the kids of the area decided the school parking lot was a good place to play a massive game of tag.”

“Well, we can go to bed early tonight.” He smiled, taking a sip of lemonade. “We've had so many busy days these past few weeks, we haven't had time for anything but work, moving things, and sleep.”

She gave him a look over her fork. “I know what you're getting at... Daddy Alpha.”

Ben snickered, setting down his glass. “and yet, you're not protesting my suggestion.”

She shook her head, keeping her focus on her food. “Eat your dinner, like a good alpha. I know you didn't pack much lunch, and you had a great deal of walking to do today.”

“Yeah. The park's got me uniform shirts so people don't give me grief when I'm trying to monitor a geyser or mud pot and start in on how I'm interfering with nature or some other thing they know nothing about.” he sighed, shaking his head. “Why do people who don't know how to do your job always want to tell you how to do your job?”

“Because they read one article in National Geographic and one book on the subject and think they're bloody experts.” she countered, “as another omega once told me, some people are educated beyond their intelligence.”

“I can't imagine what kinds of idiots Rose has to deal with. People who think deer are some pretty, innocent creatures and heaven forbid harm come to them.” he sliced into one of the enchiladas, “either they've never hit one, or eaten venison.”

“Last time I did any sort of learning about animal science, predators go after the old, injured and, on occasion, the young.” she reached for her glass, “they keep the population in check. Of course, Rose also has the problem of not being a man. Alpha or not, there are people in the upper echelons of the park service who refuse to listen to women.”

“No shit.” he sighed, “It's like that everywhere, unfortunately.” he poked at his food. “Some countries, it's a miracle women are allowed to go out in public without a man accompanying them.”

“And how.” she covered a cough, “status means nothing before gender in some parts of the world. Who knows how much further mankind could have gone had they not spent time squabbling over gender.” she set down her glass. “Although the fact gender always plays such an important part, the accomplishments of those who defied the expectations seem greater, had such things gone ignored.”

Ben frowned down at his plate. “It would turn the notable into just another face in the crowd.” he squeezed her knee. “what are your plans for tomorrow?”

Rey's face broke out into a smile, “there's an amazing looking library a street over from the laundromat. Lady at the 'mat told me it was a Carnegie Library, built in nineteen-ten.”

“Libraries are always good.” he returned, turning his attention to his meal.

*

Rey tucked the pillow under her chin, listening as Ben shut off the water in the bathroom. A light breeze blew into the house from the window, bringing with it the distant music from a house somewhere down the block. The light in the bath went off with an audible snick and a floorboard creaked as Ben came over to the bed. The mattress dipped under his weight as he sat, and a moment later, she felt his hand on her hip. “I'm not asleep.”

“I know you're not.” The covers rusted as he scooted up behind her. “Gatáki.” The hand on her hip moved lower to cup her abdomen. “Okay?”

She nodded, “I told you I was going to get fat.” She let out a hiss as his lips settled on her neck. “What are you up to?”

“Exactly what you think.” his hand slid under her nightshirt and onto her stomach. “You're not fat, darling.” he husked against her ear. “You're beautiful.” he took the fabric of her shirt and started to lift it. “I want to see you, little omega. I haven't gotten a proper look at you in weeks.”

Rey sat up enough for him to draw the shirt off of her and laid back down, resting her hand on her stomach. “I can't lie on my back anymore, I'm afraid.”

“Don't start.” He set her shirt aside, tracing the lines of her middle, the natural light filtering through the curtains leaving the room half lit, half in shadow. “You look incredible.” he laid his hand flat as he moved it down her stomach. “And very pregnant.” He leaned down and kissed her temple. “Bred.”

She let out a giggle. “Daddy Alpha, you did this.”

“I know I did.” He laid back down, shifting slightly, and a moment later, Rey felt his cock pressed against her rear. “We both did this.” he slid a hand between her legs, pulling her leg back over his to give him better access. “I went into rut and fucked you through your heat.” the tip of his middle finger rubbed her clit. “On your back, on your front, on your side – I kept fucking you.”

“I love getting fucked, Daddy Alpha.” she panted as his finger dipped inside her cunt. “Love taking your cock.”

“I know you do, Gatáki.” He nipped her ear. “and I love fucking you. Mating.” he rasped. “I love you, darling.” the head of his cock nudged at her entrance. “I love my pretty omega.”

“Handsome alpha,” she leaned back against him, sighing. “so empty, mate.”

“Sweet omega.” holding onto her leg, he thrust inside, groaning. “I've missed this.” He swallowed, “you're always so wet and ready for me, Gatáki.”

She let out a breathy laugh as her cunt adjusted to his girth. “This bed is saturated in your scent, Daddy.” she nudged her hips back towards him, “I love your scent.” she smiled, “I remember the first time I got a good dose of it.”

“Naughty thing,” he slowly withdrew his cock, thrusting back inside her in the same lazy, tender manner. “I used to lie in this bed, thinking about a mate. Never thought I'd find one.” he groaned as he filled her again. “Night after night, wondering... wishing...dreaming.”

“You didn't know where to look.” she moaned as he drove his cock deeper. “Did... did you?”

“No.” he rasped, “you are better than any dream, Gatáki ” his lips moved up to her ear. “Though I think you were the one to find me, weren't you?”

She swallowed as the bed creaked under them as the pace of his thrusts quickened. “Yes, Daddy Alpha.” she grinned, “though I don't think we thought it would get this far, not on the first day.”

“No.” Ben groaned as he filled her, “I didn't think the skinny little omega I gave a lift to would stay with me. I kept thinking you'd leave.” His hand moved up her front, “but after your heat, darling... I knew I could never let you go.” He swallowed as he quickened his pace, the bed-springs sounding twice as loud as they should.

“So good, Daddy...” Rey whimpered, pressing her face into the pillow. “feels so good when you fuck me.”

“Are we fucking?” his body stiffened, and he slowly withdrew his cock until only the head remained inside her cunt before thrusting back in, just as slow. “is this fucking?”

“No.” she rasped, “not fucking...” she smiled, looking back over her shoulder at him. “Lovemaking.”

“Yes.” He kissed her gently, “Darling Gatáki,” the hand on her leg pulled it back further over his hip as the edge of his knot grazed her entrance.

Her eyes drifted shut as he filled her again, the strength of his thrusts increasing with each one. “Love you, Ben.” she breathed as her release came, washing over her like fire.

“I love you too, Rey.” His lips rested against her temple as he shoved his knot inside her cunt, moaning as his cock throbbed. “Mate.”

“Yes.” she rasped, vaguely aware of his hand tracing her belly in lazy circles.

**

Ben supposed his amusement at watching the people standing or sitting around, waiting for Old Faithful to erupt was shared by many of the park employees. There were plenty of geysers which went off with similar frequency, the only difference he supposed was that Faithful had publicity and didn't require a trek of a few miles to watch. He'd much rather watch the Grand, which lived up to its name better.

He fanned his face with his hat, wondering how many kids in the crowd were bored out of their minds. The unsettling feeling of being watched started to edge into his thoughts, and he slowly scanned the area, trying to find the source, landing finally on an alpha male, who had his arm around a petite omega, who, from this distance, looked strung out.

A welcome breeze swept through the valley, and he saw the man's face change from wary to determined. He whispered something to the young woman, who nodded and sat down, hugging herself.

Ben looked away as he heard gravel crunching under the man's boots as he approached.

“You smell like Rey.” the man stated, flatly.

He kept his face perfectly blank as he turned back to him. “I beg your pardon?”

“Fuck off, you know you smell like her. You know who I'm talking about.” He spat.

“Sir, there are children present. Please mind your language.” he almost didn't recognize his own voice; the fact that this man, this other alpha, knew his mate's scent raised all of his hackles. He glanced around the man towards the young woman, who hadn't moved – but Rose had found. Where did she come from?

“Where is she?” The man countered, “she owes me about five hundred dollars, the little thieving bitch.”

“Is there a problem here?” A park ranger interjected, and Ben had never felt so relieved to see a beta since high school. “Doctor Solo?” he turned to the man, “sir?”

“Piss off, this doesn't concern you.” the man snarled before turning back to Ben. “Where the fuck is Rey?”

“Hey, watch your mouth!” someone from the edge of the crowd called, “there's kids here.”

“Eat shit!” the man stepped up and shoved Ben in the chest. “Maybe you should give me the money, since clearly you know the little Cockney Cunt.”

Ben saw red and a moment later, his fist made contact with the side of the man's jaw, sending him spiraling to the ground with a meaty thunk as from across the way, Rose screamed.

“What lỗ đít is giving this omega suppressants!?”

The park ranger lunged forward, sitting on the man's legs to keep him from rising as another ranger ran to join Rose.

“Little bitch.” he groaned, looking at Ben with nothing but malice. “You don't know anything about Rey. Probably don't even know the cesspool I found her in, scrawny, cheap...” He hissed as another ranger, an alpha, joined his coworker.

“Sir, I advise you to keep quiet.” the man said, and turned to Ben. “You're going to need some ice for your hand.”

Ben looked down at his fingers, noting their color. While he'd punched the man pretty hard, he still wished he'd put more of his strength in it. He also noted that more people were watching the scene behind them, than the geyser erupting with great flourish in front of them.

Rose had her arm around the omega female, who was even smaller than her, looking pensive. “It's okay.” She soothed, “don't worry.”

“Keep quiet Krissy.” the alpha snarled and groaned, “quiet!” he barked as the beta ranger hauled him to his feet.

“And they say nothing exciting ever happens in Yellowstone.” the alpha ranger shook his head, looking over at the ranger who had come with Rose. “Let's move this away from the audience.”

Ben couldn't agree more.

*  
Rey didn't know why Ben called and told her to go over to the Andors, when she was perfectly fine in their house, the weather didn't seem threatening, and really, if he had to work late, she could manage. But, rather than ask questions, she'd locked the doors and went to her neighbor's home. In the time it had taken her to put on her shoes and make sure she'd left nothing on, her husband must have called them, because judging from the look on Jyn's face when she answered the door, something had to have happened in the park.

Jyn Erso-Andor acted like a mix of Leia and Rose, and, rather than explain anything, tasked her with peeling potatoes. An easy, mundane chore.

“How far along are you, Rey?” she asked, looking up from the notebook she was working something out on – expenses, she guessed, judging from the numbers.

“I still have at least a dozen potatoes to go.” she replied, and closed her eyes, realizing what she meant. “Six months. I'm due in September.” She took a breath, giving the woman a small smile as she opened her eyes. “I'm sorry to have come over here, no explanation...”

“It's no bother.” she smiled as she set the pencil down. “May I?” she indicated Rey's middle.

“Um...” she shrugged, “okay.”

Jyn set her palm on Rey's stomach, smoothing her hand over the expanse. “My girls and my daughters-in-law all live far away, so I miss this part.” she smiled, “I don't know if Cassian told you. We have nine children – and almost two dozen grandchildren.”

“Wow.” she answered, grinning as she felt a push in the area of Jyn's hand. “Is Victoria the oldest?”

She shook her head. “Victoria's in the middle. Every grand-kid spends their eleventh summer here. Individual grandparent attention, and I can't remember the last time we had all the kids home.” she chuckled, “seems you've got a pair of kickers here.”

Rey grinned. “Don't I know it? I just wish they understood that sometimes, mummy wants to lie down and have some peace for a bit.” She flinched as she felt movement in her back. “and someone wants to kick and punch this afternoon.” she frowned, “they've tended to avoid my back, strange enough.”

“Stretching.” Jyn offered, “trying to get comfortable.” she pulled her hand back, looking her ledger over. “Twins, huh?”

“Yeah.” she picked up the peeler and another potato. “Where's Cassian?”

“He and Victoria went to the market. I'm going through Bisquick like mad, along with eggs.” she sighed, “I miss having milk delivered. That stopped back... oh, shortly after the War.”

Rey nodded, “In England, we still have rationing. It's the modern world and you still only can purchase so much sugar and butter in a given month.” she paused, “I couldn't get over the abundance of food when I came to the States.”

“I imagine that would be a little off-setting.” she rubbed her temple, “I still find myself flabbergasted when I go down the cereal aisle. When I was a kid, there were four or five kinds to choose from, now there's dozens.”

“The only cereal I like are corn pops.” she made a face, “I'm not supposed to have a good deal of sugar, under doctor's orders, but I figure having a bowl for a sweet snack after dinner is better than say, a bowl of ice cream.”

“It has milk in a healthier form.” the woman quipped, making a few notes on her paper, “besides, the only good ice cream is homemade.”

Rey shrugged, “I don't think I've ever had homemade...” she sighed, “guess there's a lot of things I've not eaten.”

“You're young.” Jyn let out a breath, “I'm going to need to start dinner soon.” she rubbed her temple. “Unless Cas convinces Victoria to make it.” she frowned, “I can see him doing that.”

“The potatoes aren't dinner?” she set the peeled one into the bowl with the others and picked up another one from the unpeeled pile.

“They're for tomorrow.” she offered, “I'm going to fry them up spear style instead of slices.”

The back door opened, and Cassian's voice called out, “I'm home, Jyn. No problems.”

Jyn smiled and stood, going over to take the bag from him, “where's Victoria?”

“Coming.” he inclined his head in Rey's direction. “Mrs Solo.” he went back outside and a moment later, the girl ran in, carrying a large canvas bag. “Slowly!”

“Sorry.” the girl replied, setting the bag down and fishing a bright yellow box out from inside. “Grandpa and I are gonna make pizza for dinner!”

“Pizza?” Jyn took the box from her, scanning the back of it. “You think you can do this?”

“Yup! Pizza is great!” she noticed Rey. “Hi!”

“Hi, Victoria.” she managed a smile, “how are you?”

“Good.” she picked up the bag and carried it over to the counter, grunting slightly as she lifted it up. “Did you get lonely across the road and come for a visit?”

“Something like that.” she turned her focus to the potatoes as the doorbell rang.

*

Ben knew full well the alpha was lying about the money. He could distinctly remember when Rey had unpacked last August, going through her bag and pockets, gathering all the bills and change she had – a mix of American dollars and British coins – somewhere in the neighborhood of eighty dollars total. If she'd taken the five hundred the man claimed, she'd have taken the first plane she could back to the UK.

He turned off the water in the sink, checking his appearance in the mirror before leaving the men's room, wishing he could have talked with Rey more than a handful of words earlier. The whole reason he sent her over to the Andors in the first place was so she wouldn't be alone when the cops showed up to talk to her. The station here in Cody wasn't exactly a throng of people, but at the same time...

In all honesty, he'd barely given much thought to the group of people Rey had left behind on the hot August morning they met.

He crossed over to the front desk as the front doors opened, his eyes widening as Rey came through them, followed by Jyn, who had her by the elbow, and a pair of beta cops behind them. “What the hell?”

“Ben!” Rey's look of fear replaced with relief the moment her eyes met his and he closed the distance between them, wrapping his arms around her. “I'm okay.”

“I think I'm supposed to tell you that.” He smoothed her hair and looked at the two cops. “What's going on?”

“We need Mrs Solo to make a positive ID, Mr. Solo.” the first cop shook his head, “we can discuss this somewhere less public.”

Jyn rolled her eyes. “It's a case of he said, she said, Ben.” She squeezed Rey's hand. “You're okay now, yes?”

Rey nodded. “Thank you.”

“Not a problem.” She repeated the gesture before going over to a small bank of chairs and sitting down.

Ben kept his arm around his mate's shoulders as they went down the hall. He seriously doubted the existence of the five hundred dollars in the first place; no one left money like that just lying around. “Don't worry.” he whispered against her ear as they entered a small room with a large plate of glass, the other side revealing the alpha in question, his handcuffed wrists resting on the table.

He felt Rey stiffen at his side, her hands going to her stomach, and he wanted to punch the man for causing fear and stress on his mate. “Mitch.” she stepped towards the glass. “Damn it.”

“Mrs. Solo?” the cop behind Ben said, “what did you say?”

Rey took a breath before turning. “Mitch.” she stated, “his name is Mitch Greenburg.” she glanced towards the other alpha before looking back. “I told him LSD would wreck him.”

Ben set his hand on the small of her back; it felt strange finally knowing the man's name. “What exactly do you need her to do, officer?” he glanced at the glass. “Please tell me she doesn't have to go in there with him.”

“No.” the man stepped up to the glass. “we're holding him for at least a week while we have records checked. He's already in enough trouble with us here for what he did to the girl he was with. He's going away for a long time.” he shook his head. “however, he's more pissed about the missing money than jail time.”

Rey pinched the bridge of her nose. “Either he spent it on drugs and forgot, or someone else in the troupe made off with it. He's blaming me because it's what he does. Blame other people for his own mistakes. I don't doubt they all woke up that August morning, hungover and edging into withdrawal and the one clean person had vanished. No coffee, no breakfast...” she turned and rested her head on Ben's collarbone. “Someone else did it, or there was no theft, and he just wants money.”

He rubbed his mate's back, “do you need anything else from us?”

The cop came over to the glass, folding his arms. “We have just a few more questions for you, Mrs Solo.” he cleared his throat. “This troupe you were with, last summer – how many people were in the group?”

Rey was quiet for a moment, looking at her hand, her fingers moving as he suspected she was double checking in her mind. “Ten, including me. Three alphas, five omegas, and two betas. I was in charge of keeping the cars running and basic electrical work.”

“Fix-it lady, in other words?” the man gave her an encouraging smile.

“Basically.” she looked a little embarrassed. “The only money I had with me when I left was my earnings for two months of work, ninety seven dollars and fifty four cents. British currency, I had about nineteen shillings.”

Ben's hand stilled on her hip, feeling the cold dread of what could have happened to her if she'd stayed with the troupe; going through her heat with three alphas present. “It's all right.”

The officer looked the two of them over. “One more question, do you remember the name of the town where you two met?” he looked from her to Ben. “somewhere in Ohio?”

“Xenia.” Rey said before he could even try and recall. “We were just outside of Xenia.” she smiled, “odd enough name, you really can't forget it.”

“Yeah.” Ben offered, the vague memory of seeing the town's newspaper lying in a stack at the gas station. “Everyone else heading east to Woodstock, we headed west.”

The officer barely managed to cover a snort. “With all that happened in New York during that weekend, you could lose five hundred dollars real quick and not notice until a week later.”

“And how.” He wrapped his arm around Rey's shoulders. “May we go?”

“Sure.” the man smiled, “if we need more information, we have your number.”

Ben kissed Rey's temple reassuringly as they turned their backs on the glass and left the room.

*

The rain started during dinner, a meal in which Rey tasted absolutely nothing. She could have eaten cardboard for all she knew, and she wouldn't know any different. She only ate because she had to, not because she wanted anything. She'd felt dreadfully empty when the police had shown up at the Andors and told her what happened. Even with Ben's attention, she felt utterly hollow and, ashamedly, scared.

She thought all the damage she'd left and felt in her past would stay in her past, where it belonged. Now the past had come calling, and all the wretchedness of her life before Ben broke over her.

The bedroom door creaked and she heard her mate moving around, getting ready for the night. Still, the rain continued on, hammering away at the house with the same vigor and relentlessness Rey felt.

“I know you're not asleep.” Ben stated as he sat on her side of the bed, rubbing her arm. “Please don't cry.”

“I'm not crying.” she hiccuped as tears slowly started down her cheek. “I don't...” she sniffled, “I mean...”

“Damn it.” Ben stood and a moment later, the blankets were thrown back.

“Hey!” she stated indignantly as he sat back down, pulling her up to a sit and placing her securely in his lap, his arms holding her close; and the damn burst as she started to weep.

“Go on.” he whispered against her scalp as he rubbed her back. “You get your tears out, Sweetheart.”

“You told me...” she hiccuped, “you asked me not to cry.” She pressed her face against his shirt, inhaling his scent; the wonderful smell of love and comfort. “I'm not...”

“I could strangle that man for upsetting you.” he breathed, “for what he put you through.” He smoothed down her hair, “I nearly ripped his throat out when he recognized your scent on me.”

She let out a sob, grasping his shirt, “I... I'm sorry...”

“You have done nothing you need to apologize for.” he kissed her forehead, his lips moving down to her ear. “I have you, Gatáki, I won't let anything happen to you, or our children.”

Rey squeezed her eyes shut, gulping. “I'm still scared.” she felt terrible; weak and helpless – and worst of all, abandoned. How could she feel abandoned in her husband's arms, fully protected and safe, and at the same time, so alone.

Ben started to rock her, gently, stroking her cheek. “I'm going to keep you safe, Rey. Don't ever doubt that.” He let out a long breath, “I'd go down to the station right now and kill the bastard for making you feel this way, but it means leaving you.” he kissed her temple, “I will never leave you.”

She sniffled, rubbing at her cheeks. “You're the only one who hasn't.” she tilted her head so she could kiss the underside of his chin, “I'm sorry I'm such a disaster.”

His arms tightened around her. “You're not a disaster, Rey.” he nuzzled her neck. “My Rey.” He kissed her cheek, “I'm going to set you back down on the bed, go turn the lights off, and I'll show you exactly what I mean.”

She remained still as he placed her on the mattress, pressing a kiss to her temple and a second one on her belly before leaving her side of the bed, and she could hear the rustle of his clothing falling to the floor. Rey rubbed at her face before sitting up, pulling off her own nightshirt. “Is this... okay?”

“Perfect.” He answered as he flicked the lights off and climbed back into the bed with her. “I love you.” He took her head in his hands, kissing both of her cheeks, “my sweet mate.” he kissed her forehead, “my wonderful omega.” He kissed her chin. “My Gatáki.”

Rey set her hand on his wrist, trembling as he repeated the gesture. “Ben.” she turned her face so she could kiss his palm; her anxiety starting to fade. “Please...”

He helped her lay down on the bed, his hands moving down her sides, slowly going over her curves gently; reverently. “Yes, darling.”

She slid her hand into his hair as he kissed the base of her sternum, closing her eyes as thunder crashed outside. “I love you too.”

*  
The rain continued through the night and into the next morning. Despite the weather, Ben still managed to get to the little house, as he now called the home in Yellowstone, shortly before nine. He would have brought Rey with him to the house for the day, but she'd stay far more comfortable at their home in Cody. Either he left her alone in one house or the other – and Cody was preferred. She could go to the neighbors if needed.

When he'd walked out the back door, she'd taken up a seat at the dining room table with a copy of War and Peace borrowed from the library and a yellow tablet. She'd stated today she was going to start working on names for the babies. They hadn't really had the time to consider them, and back during the winter, her pregnancy felt too new.

The whole not knowing if the babies were boys or girls made the task daunting – medical science hadn't found a way to observe such things. Something told Ben even if they could, you'd need said unborn baby to cooperate by facing a certain way. They weren't hoping for anything other than healthy.

Judging from the way they kicked, Rey firmly believed one of them liked to punch at the same time, healthy felt almost certain.

Sighing, he opened his lunchbox, unpacking the contents, listening to the rain pound against the roof. His hand stilled when he saw the yellow piece of paper tucked between his sandwich and apple. “What are you up to?” he took the paper out and unfolded it.

_Lots of hugs, kisses, and love to get you through the rest of the day. Stay dry! - Rey_

“Cute.” he set the paper down and unwrapped his sandwich.


	4. Late Summer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summer's turned hot in Cody - and a morning that begins with a pancake breakfast turns into something else for Rey and Ben.

An explosion of firecrackers woke Rey up. She grimaced into her pillow as she felt Ben's arm around her tighten, his lips pressed against the back of her neck as his hand slid onto her stomach. “Too early.” she muttered. “I know the big pioneer days thing started this weekend, but really, firecrackers this early?”

“Well, the tourists get up early because Cody has absolutely no form of night life whatsoever.” he answered, kissing her skin. “How this town manages to wrangle up enough people to have a parade. Probably explains the firecrackers at seven thirty in the morning.” His hand shifted, and he snickered, “someone else is awake.”

She grinned. “They both are.” She stretched out her legs, trying to find a modicum of comfort as he started to rub her lower back. “Poor things probably believe their shared space is getting smaller when in fact, it's them getting bigger.”

Ben chuckled, kissing her again. “I'm all for staying right here for at least another hour. It's Saturday and we have no place to be, with nothing to do.” His lips moved to another part of her neck. “You smell particularly nice this morning.”

Rey let out a giggle as his tongue brushed her earlobe. “I'm not breakfast, mate. I know the grade school behind us is having a pancake breakfast today, it'd be a shame not to go. We get out of cooking this morning.”

“Point.” He breathed, “though you do smell good enough to eat.” His hand slid under her nightshirt. “We definitely have a pair of tumblers here.” His fingers spread out over the expanse of her belly. “Or maybe swimmers.”

“Perhaps both.” She grimaced as her stomach rumbled. “Okay, guess that means we have to get up now. Don't worry, the breakfast will have coffee.”

“You miss drinking it?” Ben helped her sit up, keeping his hand on the small of her back.

“I love coffee, yes, but I hate the heartburn more.” She stretched her arms over her head, yawning. “Besides, I can manage just as well with hot chocolate. Strange to think of drinking it in the middle of August, but still....”

“I'm not saying a thing.” He kissed the top of her head as he got out of the bed. “It's comforting, and to hell with saying such a thing is seasonal. Apple cider is seasonal, not hot chocolate.” He made a face, “although some places consider iced tea seasonal.”

“Reminds me, we need to make more sun tea.” She grasped the headboard and stood up. “Ooof.” she chuckled, “I may not see my feet much these days, but I always know they're still there when I stand up.”

“You're lovely.” Ben came over and took her by the shoulders, “and I think after we return from breakfast, we'll have a lazy day. You went at things non-stop this past week. I hope you're not straining yourself.” He kissed her forehead and half guided her towards the bathroom.

“Fusspot.” she countered, chuckling. “I want to have as much done as possible, so I don't have to worry about things not getting done when the babies get here.” She tapped her fingers against the door frame. “Today's the eighth, right?”

He folded his arms, leaning against the wall. “Last time I checked. Which dress do you want? I'll bring it over.”

“The green one with the giant daisies on it, please.” she rubbed her eyes and turned on the water in the sink. “Where is this year going?” she picked up her washcloth, running it under the water and lathering it up. Well, maybe not – time had slowed down significantly since the Fourth of July.

September seemed twice the distance as her due date grew nearer, instead of the other way around. Turning off the water, she scrubbed at her face, listening to Ben shuffle around in the bedroom. The summer hadn't turned ungodly hot, at least, not yet – you never knew with August.

The door opened a crack and Ben's hand slid through the gap, holding her clothes. “I'll get changed in the other bathroom. Good thing is, we don't need to worry about a parking spot.”

“Absolutely.” she took the clothes with her free hand. “Thank you.” She set the items in a neat pile on the toilet lid. She put the rag down and pulled off her nightshirt, and washed off her upper body. Rey could only imagine what her mother in law would say about the size of her belly now; and she ran her hand after the rag, smiling. This time last year, having a mate and children was one of the last things on her mind.

Her hand stilled, and she felt the smile tug at the corners of her mouth. In a few days, it would be exactly a year since she and Ben met. She chuckled, washing off her stomach. “I don't know if I want you two to show up early or on time – if you decide to arrive on the day your father and I met, I won't object. He'll never forget the day then.”

“Like I ever could.” Ben's voice came from behind her and she jumped. “Sorry.” He stepped into the bath and took the washcloth. “Scrawny underfed omega with pretty eyes.” he ran the cloth down her back, brushing her hair aside.

She met his gaze in the mirror. “I'm no longer scrawny.” She grinned, “though I do miss not being able to look down and see my feet.”

He kissed the top of her head, setting the cloth down. “I suspect you'll see them soon.” He let out a breath, “I should let you finish, I know you're hungry.” He picked up a towel and ran it over her back. “I'll meet you in the kitchen in ten?”

Rey nodded, “sounds perfect.”

*

“The only thing I want to know is, how do they produce pancakes by the dozens and have each one the same size and so fluffy?” Rose scanned all four plates, “I mean, this isn't International House of Pancakes where they have the method perfected.”

Finn looked up from his food and over at Ben, shrugging. “Years of practice, and they probably beat the egg whites before they add them to the mix.”

“I think they have a little squirt bottle type thing they use.” Ben offered, spreading butter on the middle pancake of his stack. “Rey, you okay?”

The woman nodded, slowly adding syrup to her pile. “The truth about pancakes is they always taste better when someone else makes them.”

“No argument from me there.” Rose chuckled, “just like salad or fried rice.” she gave Finn a look. “Which I've told you a dozen times.” She stabbed several chunks of pancake with her fork.

“I still think we need an outside opinion on my fried rice.” Finn answered, picking up a piece of bacon. “And almost all food tastes better when someone else cooks it.”

“Agreed,” Ben stated, taking a drink of coffee and looking around the cafeteria. “I thought there would be more of a crowd.”

Rose ate another forkful of pancakes, taking in the noisy room. She didn't know what he meant by lack of a crowd, with at least fifty people eating, it seemed like plenty of people. A group of several dozens walked into the cafeteria, a family reunion of some kind, judging from the majority of them with flaming red hair. She turned her focus back to her plate. “So, are you two ready to give up the kids' names yet, or do we still have to wait for them to get here?”

Finn nudged her arm. “I still think it's better if they surprise us. I mean, I'm certain Ben and Rey haven't told Ben's parents the kids' names either.”

Ben rolled his eyes, picking up his coffee cup. “We're not telling names because we don't want negative input on what we've chosen. Let's leave it at, we made sure they won't have names which a teacher won't struggle to pronounce and won't be destroyed by any classmates.”

“No name is impervious.” Rose countered, “I used to be called Tick when in grade school.”

“That could almost get twisted around so it's cute.” Rey stated, picking up a piece of bacon, “I really got tired of telling people Rey isn't short for anything.”

“I had to explain Finn is not after Huck Finn so many times, by the time I got to high school, I almost felt like saying 'yes, want to make something of it'?” Finn stabbed at his pancakes. “And 'tick' could come across as cute.” he kissed her temple. “Cute as a bug in a rug.”

She set her fork down and covered her face with her hand. “Please, we're in public.”

“Excuse me.” a voice said to her right and all four of them looked at the end of the table, where a red-headed alpha stood, clutching his tray. “Would any of you mind terribly if I join you?”

Ben exchanged a glance with Rose and nodded slightly. “Not a problem.”

“Thank you.” The man slid down in the chair next to Finn, wisely knowing better than to take the empty chair next to Rey.

“Armie!” a voice called from the other side of the cafeteria, “What are you doing?”

The man wheeled around, color flooding his face. “For the last time, Aunt Kat, it's_ Taj!_” He took a swig of juice from his cup, his whole body tense.

“You're pretty far away from Edinburgh.” Rey cleared her throat, clearly unfazed by everything. “What brings you so far West?”

“Reunion.” Taj stated through clenched teeth. “With a family that wanted nothing to do with me until a certain woman died and all of a sudden, I was acceptable company.” He set his cup down, his demeanor slowly shifting. “Apologies for the mood.”

Ben scanned the crowd behind them, his face remaining passive. “Little family can go a long way.” he picked up his coffee cup. “I'm afraid I don't know the bus schedule out of town if you're looking to escape.”

“Thank you, but no.” Taj cleared his throat, “I came all this way to see Yellowstone. It's really the only reason I agreed to come along on this... expedition.”

Rose stabbed several bites of pancake onto her fork. “So what do you do in Scotland when you're not attending family reunions?”

“When I am in the UK, I do presentations on parts of the world to school children.” He took a sip of juice. “Yellowstone might not come across as exotic to many, but eight year old kids think it's fascinating. When you live in a town like say, Lockerbie, which no one outside of Scotland or Yorkshire can find on a map, Wyoming might as well be the moon.”

*

Ben leaned his head against his hand, watching with detached interest as the evening news filtered in from Laramie. As he expected, there was nothing but bad; the war in Vietnam, riots in Los Angeles, and the Yankees were turning everyone in the American League into hash. Again. “How is it possible for everyone except those in the area where they play to hate a baseball team?”

Rey snickered and yawned, “given how football teams are in Britain, I won't comment. I've seen more than my fair share of fistfights in pubs.” she rubbed her cheek against his shorts. “Your leg is so comfy.”

He smoothed his thumb along her cheek. “You sure you don't want me to take you upstairs?”

“I'm good here,” she answered, “though if the Yankees winning over and over again is the worst of the news, the world's in pretty good shape.”

“No kidding. I still don't know how Chicago Cubs fans survive one bad season after another.” he straightened so he could set his other hand on the top of Rey's head, smiling down at her. “The little ones still having a tumbling session?”

“Uh huh.” She flinched, “ow.” she put her hand on her hip. “Okay, you two need to play..” her whole body tensed, her face contorting. “That's a little sharp.”

Ben swallowed and helped her to sit up, wrapping his arms around her, putting his hands above hers. “Rey?”

“I'm okay.” she blanched, “I think that was my kidney.” She took several deep breaths, gulping.

He frowned, kissing her temple before shifting so he could rub her back in slow circles. “More of those false contraction things?”

“Yeah, pretty sure...” she licked her lips. “I don't know if I should try standing, or laying back down.” She gave him a half smile. “Help me up?”

“Of course.” He kept one arm around her back and took her hand in his, slowly rising to his feet and pulling her up with him. “Guess it's a good thing we took off our shoes when we got home, huh?”

“Yeah.” She squeezed his hand. “I think the walking is a good idea.” she took a few steps forward. “I was trying to think how big these two are.” she set her free hand on her stomach, and Ben put his on her back. “Small, cramped space, sort of hard to get comfortable.”

Ben kissed the top of her head as they reached the dining room. He'd done enough research on the subject, he knew the most important thing to do for Rey right now was to keep her calm, and remain supportive. “They don't mean to elbow one another, or accidentally kick their sibling in the face.”

Her grip on his fingers tightened, and he winced. “I don't know if they're both kicking and punching, or if it's one of them trying to stretch.” She grabbed the back of a chair, taking a few deep breaths.

He let out a breath, struggling not to freak out. “You want to go visit the hospital? Just to make sure it's restless babies and not labor?”

“That... that might not be such a bad idea.” Rey managed to smile. “I know the doctors told me every ache and pain in the last month would make me think I was going into labor, but this is the worst of the...” she let go of him so she could grab the chair, “pain.”

Ben squeezed her shoulder. “I'm going to run upstairs, grab your bag, and I'll pick up your sandals from the front door. You stay put.” He shot a look at her stomach. “All of you stay put.” He turned and raced up the stairs.

Remaining calm felt like an impossibility as he reached the master bedroom, grabbing the packed bag Rey had put together yesterday. Clothes for her and the babies, personal products, and one of his shirts. He double checked his pockets to make sure he had his wallet and half ran, half stumbled back down to Rey, barely managing to stuff his feet into his own shoes. “Don't panic, don't panic.”

“One of us has to stay calm.” she replied, “augh...”

Ben brought her sandals over and helped her into them. “I'm trying not to panic, and so...”

“Keeping talking like that Daddy Alpha, and you're having the next baby.” She put her arm under her stomach as they walked into the kitchen, his arm around her shoulders. “you left your keys on the counter.”

“Thanks.” He grabbed them up, opening the door. “You going to be alright on the stairs?”

“I can manage.” she groaned as they went outside. “I forgot how hot today was supposed to get.”

He locked the door behind them and walked her over to the van. “We'll get to an air conditioned space soon, don't worry.” Ben managed a smile. “I know the hospital will have it going full blast. All hospitals are like that.” he helped her into the passenger seat. “Can you get the belt, or do you need me to do it?”

“I can do it.” Rey replied as he put the bag at her feet. “I... I just want to go, may we please go?”

“On our way.” He shut the door and raced around to the other side of the car. As he got in, he gave her stomach another look. “You kids stay put until we get to the hospital, you hear?”

*

Counting the minutes between pains was the only thing which helped distract Rey from the weird smell of the curtained cubicle of the emergency room. The receptionist had taken one look at her and she'd gotten whisked back here, put into a thin cotton gown, and now, she was left to wait. The combined scents of all designations, Lysol, and something she couldn't quite place – like a mixture of olives and iron, created an undercurrent which made her stomach turn.

“It fucking hurts!” someone down the room from her screamed. “You can see the bone sticking out, of course it's broken!”

Rey grimaced as the sheet at the front of her little space opened and Ben stepped in, holding her bag. “All of a sudden, my day doesn't sound so bad.” She let out a breath as another pain eased. “Still waiting for the doctor to pay a visit.”

“Yeah.” He sat down next to the bed, letting out a deep breath. “I think they were worried I was going to walk a hole in the floor if they left me out there waiting to start filling out forms, so they sent me here. Said there's still plenty of time left for paperwork.” He squeezed her hand. “No one told me so much paperwork was involved in being an adult.”

She let out a scathing laugh. “Are you trying to distract me?” She looked down at their intertwined fingers. “Such a romantic.”

“Hey, I was told to remain calm, and to try and keep you calm.” he grinned, “I don't have any stories to tell, not without boring you. I called my parents, along with Finn and Rose. Rose said they would go by the house later, make sure it's secure.” He snickered, “I know we didn't leave the stove on.”

“Yeah, we never got to lunch, did we.” she frowned as her stomach gurgled. “and they won't let me have anything to eat or drink.”

“Precautions.” He rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. “guess it's a good thing we had a big breakfast.” Ben gave her a wry look. “Be prepared for people asking you multiple times how you're feeling. I will do my utmost to not be one of them.”

The curtain moved back with a swish and nurse who looked around the same age as Rey stepped into the little room. “Good afternoon, Mrs Solo.”

“Hi.” she replied, another one of the pains overtaking her. “Please tell me you're not about to state the obvious and inform me that I'm pregnant.”

The woman gave her an exasperated smile, “Well, now you have my vote for Miss Congeniality of the Cody ER. I'll have the entire hospital vote for you when we go to State.”

Ben gave Rey's hand another squeeze. The simple reassurance from him made this whole waiting thing a little more bearable. “Is the doctor coming shortly?”

The cursing man in another part of the ER let out a shrill, high pitched scream, followed by a groan. “Just cut my leg off, it'll hurt less!!”

“In a few minutes, he's with another patient at the moment.” The nurse came up to the other side of the bed, checking a few things. “When's your due date, Mrs Solo?”

“September tenth.” it came out as a hiss as the nurse put a blood pressure cuff around her upper arm. “Sorry.”

“You don't need to apologize.” the woman answered, her focus on the cuff. “You let me know if I'm hurting you.”

Rey nodded, looking back over at Ben. “Guess the trip to the rodeo is off for tonight, huh?” she chuckled, “I was looking forward to it.”

He smirked, “the rodeo or the giant soft pretzels they serve?” He leaned over and kissed her temple. “Don't worry, they'll have them at Oktoberfest.”

“Yeah.” she answered, closing her eyes, taking a deep breath, and another pain laced through her, and she felt something slick on her leg. “Um...”

The nurse took the cuff off her arm and moved down, lifting up her hospital gown. “Damn.” She flung the curtain open wide. “Doctor Middleton, you're needed in exam room two.”

“What?” Confusion washed over Rey as another nurse came in, settling her back into the bed. “I don't, it's...”

“It's going to be alright, Mrs. Solo.” The woman assured her, “just stay calm.”

“I'm sorry, what's going on?” Ben's voice sounded strangely distant. “Would someone please...”

Pain overtook Rey's ability to think or speak. She had a feeling of being moved sideways, and suddenly something soft, something she recognized – the flannel shirt of Ben's she'd packed in her bag was pressed against her face, leaving her with the strong scent of her mate, and little else except the dull throb spreading through her body.

*

Ben wondered how a place as small as Cody could have a corridor so long. When the nurses had hurried Rey away from him, off into the depths of a hospital that couldn't possibly be as huge as it felt, leaving him to fill out forms, find his way to a waiting room which felt worse than sitting at admitting, hearing nothing but the occasional cry or shout from elsewhere in the building. The fact he couldn't go with his mate was the worst of it. He didn't like the idea of her alone in all this, left to doctors and nurses and orderlies, with his shirt pressed near her face the only source of true comfort.

It was nineteen seventy, for fuck's sake, it wasn't like he didn't know where babies came from, and really, what was so taboo of him not staying with his mate while she gave birth?

Every doctor or nurse who had come to speak with him had repeated the same thing, over and over – a month premature wasn't bad. They'd have to stay at the hospital a little longer, gain a little more weight, and go home in three weeks, instead of a handful of days.

He slowly pushed open the door of Rey's room, the whole place cast in shadows. The only lights were near the bed, the wretched sort of fluorescent which robbed people of their true colors and made them look twice as bad as they really were. An IV bag of blood hung above her on a pole, and he shuddered at the absolutely wicked looking needle inserted into his mate's arm.

Smiling sadly, he pulled a chair closer to the bed and took his shirt from where it was pressed against Rey's face, replacing it with his hand. “Rey?” he swallowed, “you awake Sweetheart?”

“I can't feel my legs.” she mumbled. “I'm not in pain.” Her eyes opened ever so slightly. “I don't remember much either.”

“Probably for the best.” He smoothed her hair from her eyes. “The doctors say you can go home in a few days. They want to keep you for observation, among other things.”

She managed a smile. “Did you see the little ones?”

“I did.” he leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Doctors say they can go home hopefully at the end of the month. They need to weigh at least five and a half pounds before they'll release them.” He chuckled, “what's the last thing you can remember?”

Rey coughed, “someone saying 'just count backwards from ten, and it'll be over before you know it.'” she snickered, “I didn't get past eight.” she took a breath. “So, was I right? They're both boys?”

Ben shifted in his chair, “yeah, we have a boy. Two boys.” he took a breath, “and one girl.”

She gave him a look like he'd grown another head. “Triplets?”

“Yes.” he felt his cheeks go hot. “best I can tell, Sam and Kyle are identical. Kind of hard to make a judgment when they look like wrinkled potatoes.” He sighed, “I told them I had to consult with you before we decided – is our little girl Jennifer or Jessica?”

“What if we forgot both and named her Xenia instead?” She smiled, “after the flower, and the town where we met. You weren't expecting to find a mate in that town, and we weren't expecting a third baby.”

He chuckled, rubbing her forehead with his thumb. “Not a bad idea. I know her brothers won't complain she has a fancy name when they don't.” He smirked, “if they're identical, I think they'll spend more time glad people call them by the right name.” He let out a breath, “how are you feeling? Really?”

“Hungry.” she answered, her eyes flicking to the IV hanging over her. “You think the food's any good here?”

Ben squeezed her hand as he heard the door click open behind him. “There's a vending machine with amazingly strong coffee, but as for the cuisine, I couldn't say.”

“Good evening, Mrs Solo,” a beta nurse swept over to the other side of the bed. “Mr. Solo.” she checked something on her chart and offered the pair of them a smile. “Feel like having some dinner?”

“Feels later than dinner time.” Rey blinked, “you're certain it's not breakfast?”

“It's the lack of windows in this part of the hospital. It's just after seven pm.” the nurse checked the needle on his mate's arm, and Ben did his best not to flinch; he still didn't like the sight of the thing. “Have some dinner, and in a little while, we'll take a trip down to the nursery to see your babies, all right?”

“I'd love that, thank you.” She moved her head so it was more on the pillow. “The feeling in my legs will come back, right?”

“Before you know it.” the nurse gave Ben an encouraging nod. “Would you care for something to eat too, Mr. Solo?”

His stomach rumbled before he could reply, and all of them chuckled. “I guess I better.” he shook his head, “I knew I should have had that twelfth pancake this morning.”

Rey snickered, “if you had, you would have had to have a thirteenth to go with it. Unless they're hubcap size, almost no one eats just one pancake.”

*

The Solo Trio all fit into one bassinet. Despite the fact that Cody was a small town, with a small town hospital, their nursery was borderline state of the art, owing to the significant number of alpha/omega couples in the county, second only to Salt Lake County in the Rocky Mountain region. The almost-incubator style box was designed for twins, but the addition of a third didn't seem to leave anyone for want of space.

Rey had studied the faces of her sons hard, determined to find a difference between the two; and found a tiny mole under Sam's left ear, and Kyle's was under his right. The peach fuzz of hair for all three of them had no distinct color, and while they'd lost most of the squashed potato appearance, she couldn't determine much about their features. The only constant thing anyone, nurses included, noticed was Xenia had a habit of kicking whichever of her brothers was next to her.

Rey rested her chin on her arm as she reached into the crib, moving the girl's foot for what felt like the millionth time. “So you're the one who kept punching my back. Guess you were trying to tell me something.”

Xenia's reply was a yawn.

“Morning, Mrs Solo.” A fresh-faced nurse joined her, carrying three bottles. “How are you feeling today?”

Rey sat back in her chair, “a little disappointed I can't feed them in a normal, mother-child way.” she made a face. “and the breast pump makes me feel a little like a cow.”

“You're not the first to make such a statement, and I completely agree. However, using bottles allows us to more accurately gauge how much each child is eating. They won't always drink the same amount at every feeding. I'm going to suggest when you get home to color coordinate the bottle rings. ” She set the bottles down, “now, let's get you arranged so you can hold one of your babies for their meal.”

She kept her face as even as she could as the nurse added a pillow to support her back and another between her leg and the arm of the wheelchair. The suture still stung when she turned a certain way, and while the doctors kept saying it was normal, she had to fight the urge to tell them to shut up. “I'm certain Kyle could use a break from having Xenia kick him constantly.”

“And how.” the nurse picked the infant up and Rey adjusted her arms to let her son's head rest in the crook of her elbow. “I did give you the right one, yes? Kyle?”

Rey checked the mole by her son's ear. “Yes, and thank you for asking, some might not bother to think there's a difference. Or that I don't know one from the other.”

“My brother and his wife have four sets of identical twins. All the boys get called 'kid' and all the girls are called 'sis' for short by their parents.” she handed Rey one of the bottles. “sometimes I think they don't know which one is which. Or else they do it to drive the rest of the family nuts.”

“Did they give those eight kids all matching names?” she shifted her grip and turned her focus down at her son, who started in on the bottle with enthusiasm. “oh, you are hungry, aren't you?”

“All the names start with the letter L, so I can understand the name problem. Though I'd be a little worried if they started with the letter A and went down the alphabet.” She settled in a chair with Sam, “These three have good appetites, it won't take them long to gain the weight they need to.”

“If your brother and his wife had gone the alphabet round, there's less chance of mixing up names.” she kept her gaze on the baby. “though I guess the worry comes from how many letters down they plan to get.” She couldn't exactly find fault with the number of children, considering roughly a year ago, she and Ben had talked about having the same number.

Next to them, Xenia let out a snuffle before sneezing.

“Gods bless you!” the nurse said, repeating as the infant sneezed again.

Rey worried her bottom lip. “that's normal for newborns, right?”

“Don't you worry, Mrs Solo.” the nurse gave her a warm smile, “they're adjusting to real air, and well, there's plenty of things in the air out here they haven't come across just yet.” She pulled the bottle from Sam's mouth and he let out a sneeze of his own. “Bless you!”

She chuckled and looked down at Kyle, who showed no sign of needing to do anything but drain the bottle in her hand. “Bless you too, even though you haven't sneezed.”

*

The parade of casseroles returned to the house as news of the babies arrival spread along Prairie Corner Terrace. Ben couldn't quite believe the things that turned up, and the people who came to help prepare the house. Much as he hated coming home to an empty house at the end of the night, he knew it wouldn't last for too much longer. Rey could come home in two days, and, possibly, one of the triplets too.

Much to his relief, the corridors of the hospital had shrunk back to a normal size. “I'm too melodramatic.” he sighed, adjusting his hold on the vase of flowers as he came to Rey's room, “knock knock.” He came in quietly, noting the bassinet on the far side of the bed, and put the vase down. He wasn't surprised Rey hadn't responded to him, not with Xenia in her arms, her free hand holding a bottle.

“Hey.” she said, smiling. “the boys, better known as bottomless pits one and two, already ate. The nurses are trying to get them on a schedule so they aren't all hungry at the same time.”

He gave her a one armed hug, kissing the top of her head. “You can't schedule these things. Not exactly. You never know when someone's going to refuse a nap. I predict that as soon as we get these three on such a routine and have it last, they'll be able to take their seats at the dinner table without our help.” He went over to the bassinet, brushing each of his son's cheeks. “I talked with my parents last night, they're planning to come visit Labor Day weekend.”

“Good thing we have a sleeper sofa. There's no way we're going to get Leia to leave the house for even a minute once she gets here.” Rey sighed, “I'm really tired of staying in bed. The doctors are even talking about keeping me on bed-rest when I get home.”

“Well, it's not like half the women on the block aren't chomping at the bit, waiting for you to come home so they can start mothering you.” He chuckled, coming back to the bed. “I swear I see Mrs. Andor watching me get out of the van every night, making sure you're not with me.” he frowned, “I couldn't get a hold of Rose and Finn today. I thought about going by their house, but I didn't have time.”

Rey gave him a look. “Gee, I wonder what they could possibly be doing where they're not answering the phone.” She slowly pulled the nipple of the bottle out of Xenia's mouth, the girl not protesting. “Yeah, I think you're full too.”

“Here.” He reached over and took the girl from his mate, setting the infant against his chest, “how about you give us a burp?” He rubbed the babe's back. “If you burp, you can have some more if you want it.” Ben looked over at Rey, who was studying the bottle.

“She drank four ounces, no way is she hungry. I don't even know where she could put all of it.” she grimaced as Xenia let out a guttural noise, and a small amount of milk ended up on her father's shirt. “Oh, I know that appetite.”

Ben snickered, taking a tissue and wiping at the mess. “Well, she's trying to catch up to her brothers in size.” he frowned, “or is she the heavy one?”

“They weighed all three of them this morning, and they all weigh exactly the same - five pounds, two ounces.” Rey set the bottle aside, rubbing her temple. “This whole thing is confusing as all get out. I'm supposed to get my strength up, but I'm not supposed to spend much time on my feet because of the sutures and other such nonsense.” She chuckled, “basically, all I need is my swimsuit, transport down to the community pool, and someone to pull me around in the water for an hour or two a day.”

“Too many germs, Gatáki.” He tossed the tissue into the trash can, “I'm sorry I can't stay here for more than a couple of hours.”

“You have work.” she let out a contented sigh, “how are the geysers?”

“Same as always, boiling hot and erupting at mostly regular intervals.” He kept rubbing Xenia's back, a calm feeling spreading over him. “Really would help if we could have mass watch synchronization.”

“That all goes out the window as soon as the clock they're all based on loses power, or someone forgets to wind their watch.” Rey covered a yawn. “Is it still hot out there?”

“Miserably so.” He sighed, letting his shoulders fall. “That's why they call it augh-ust.” He stood, carrying Xenia over to the bassinet and setting her next to Sam. “No kicking your brother, young lady.”

“She won't listen.” Rey intoned, chuckling. “I've told her the same thing over and over, and she still does it.”

He rejoined her on the bed. “You know what today is, don't you?” he reached over, taking her hand and squeezing it.

“Sure I do.” she returned the squeeze, smiling. “I'd ask you for a ride out of here, but I don't think I could make it past the nurse's desk.”

Ben chuckled, “Day after tomorrow, I'll drive straight up to the door and whisk you away, and the nurses will escort you there, all safe and sound.” He shook his head. “I may, however, smuggle an ice cold soda in here tomorrow.”

“The food's not awful.” As if on cue, an orderly came into the room, carrying a tray. “although I'm getting a little sick of Jell-O.”

“You're in luck, Mrs. Solo, no Jell-O this evening, it's Wednesday, which means peanut butter cake.” the man answered, placing the tray on the rolling cart and putting it into position over the bed. “Along with meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and vegetable medley.” he pulled the cover off of the food with a flourish. “did you want milk or juice?”

Rey gave the man a look, “Andrew, you know my answer to that. Because apparently, hot tea is for breakfast only. Milk, please.”

“I'm sorry, ma'am, I don't cook the meals, I just deliver them.” he went back into the hall to his cart, returning a moment later with a carton. “I will, however, once again make your statement known to the kitchen staff. I say it's a load of hooey, because you can get coffee at any meal.” he replied before walking out of the room and continuing down the hall.

Ben rose from the bed and went to stand by the bassinet, studying his three children, all of them nearly asleep. “I wonder...” he reached in, moving Kyle aside to create a space between the two boys and set Xenia in between them. “There you go, Nina. No more kicking your brothers.”

“I don't think you're going to break her of that anytime soon.” Rey sighed, “if I said I feel weird – like things changed too fast, would you think I'm acting silly?”

“Hardly.” he kept his hand in the bassinet, smiling as he felt Sam's tiny hand wrapped around his pinkie finger. “We thought we had a few more weeks to wait for the babies, and now...” he let out a contented sigh. “I'm just thankful all four of you are healthy. I really couldn't ask for anything else in those regards.”

“Good evening Rey, Mr. Solo.” One of the nurses – Janet, if he remembered right, swept into the room. “How are we doing in here?”

Rey pointed to her mouth, her fork poised right in front of her lips.

“Eating dessert first is always acceptable.” she answered and turned to Ben. “Why don't we get you into a chair, have you hold your children for a little while.” she paused, “we need to clean and switch out the cradle.”

“Is it that time already?” he went to the chair next to the bed, the familiar process of every evening since the second night of the triplet's lives going almost like clockwork. He put a pillow behind him for support, and the nurse placed the children in his arms – Kyle on his left, Xenia in the middle, and Sam on the right – with room to spare.

Rey took a big swallow of milk as Janet wheeled the cradle out of the room. “What are you thinking about over there?”

Ben looked the trio over. “I'm thinking these three need to grow some hair as well as gain a little weight.” He grinned, “eat your dinner, like a good little omega.”

She shook her head, snickering. “Yes, Daddy Alpha.” she gave him a look, “by the way, did the Andors give us more enchiladas? Jyn mentioned we've been getting things when she visited, but didn't say if she left something.”

“Yes.” He grinned, letting out a contented sigh. “I'm saving them for your first night back at home, on Friday. Fortunately, we haven't gotten more pound cakes. I think they all know we still have six of them in the freezer.”

She smiled, mixing the vegetables and mashed potatoes together. “Thank you, for the flowers.” she let out a deep breath. “you sleeping all right?”

“Good as I can, in that big empty house.” he shook his head, “I moved one of the cribs into the second bedroom. I figured the three of them can fit in one for a while. Use the spare for when one's not feeling well, or two want to sleep and the other wants to fuss.”

Rey stabbed at her meatloaf. “I only packed two outfits, but since it's unlikely we'll take the three of them home on the same day, I don't think it's an issue.” she sighed, “comfortable?”

“I'd rather it was the five of us sitting on our couch at home, but we count our blessings, and there will be plenty of opportunities for family time in all the years to come.” he let out a sigh and one of the babies yawned. “Now, don't start that, or we'll all begin yawning, and I still have to drive back home.”

“Ben, I'm certain the hospital staff will not object if you fall asleep in that chair.” she picked up her carton of milk and took a sip. “However, I am not going to share my breakfast bacon with you in the morning.”

“I know better than to get between you and your food.” He felt his smile widen. “I've known that since the first meal we shared in that diner in Indiana.” He chuckled at the memory. “Those were some pretty amazing onion rings.”


	5. Epilogue - Labor Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The triplets have all come home, Rey remains on bed rest, and Ben brings her lunch.

Labor Day weekend brought rain. The first serious rain since July, and Rey was thankful for it. The soft rush of water on the windows, thunder and the occasional flash of lightning – nothing of the storm fazed her. Cody needed the rain and from her view on the bed, she could see the children from up the street racing down the road, celebrating the end of summer.

“Lunch is served.” Ben's voice said from the doorway and he came over, setting a tray over her lap. “Grilled cheese, cream of tomato soup, celery sticks with peanut butter, and iced tea.” He kissed the top of her head. “And if you want seconds on anything, let me know.”

She smiled, taking the napkin and spreading it on her lap. “Thank you – the little ones still asleep?”

“Quiet and content, and only Sam has let go of his pacifier.” He sat down on the bed, squeezing her knee. “And don't worry, I'll get the books back to the library before tomorrow. I think you may have read more Russian literature this past summer than I have in my life.”

She took a sip of tea before picking up a celery stick. “One more week of rest in bed, per the doctor's orders. I'm not exactly having the time of my life stuck in here for hours. I thought bed rest was something you had before you had a baby, not after.” She bit into her celery. “Though having to sit here in bed is a vast improvement over sitting in a bed in the hospital.”

“Most women don't have emergency cesarean sections and learn their twins are triplets.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I'm still stunned the doctors didn't know there were three babies.”

“To hell with the doctors not knowing, I'm mad I couldn't figure it out when I was getting kicked in three places.” She set the celery down and picked up a sandwich half. “I simply thought one was also punching.” She paused, “has your mother managed to not hold one of her grandchildren for more than five minutes, not counting times in the potty or sleeping?”

He laughed, “she's in there right now, cooing at Kyle.” he made a face, “revolting.”

Rey ran her thumb over the bottom of the spoon, smiling. “Who's idea was it to break out the silver, you or your mom?”

Ben leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Mine. We never had a chance to do it over the summer. Since we didn't get to have a nice dinner at home on our – meeting anniversary, I had to do something.”

“It's a cheerful pattern.” She picked up the spoon, giving the soup a little stir. “Where's your dad?”

“Visiting the Andors, I think he needed some time to clear his head.” He chuckled, “or a nap. This place can get noisy once the trio decide it's playtime.”

“It's only going to get louder from here.” She ate some of the soup, “this is wonderful.”

“Well, I saw the hospital food. All nice and nourishing, nothing exactly flavorful.” He let out a breath, “I don't think my mom knows the trick is to put Xenia in the middle, because she kicks her brothers otherwise.”

“She should grow out of that.” Rey took a bite of her sandwich. “once the three of them realize they have plenty of room to spread out and no longer have to fight for space.” She grimaced, rubbing her side.

“You okay?” Ben frowned, “still having cramps?”

“I think so.” She ate a little more. “And we both know confinement has never suited me.” She set the spoon down, keeping her focus on the window. “Though at least the little twinges of pain remind me this isn't some wonderful dream.”

“Little odd, using pain as a gauge for what's real and what's not.” He took her hand, squeezing it. “But I think I have an idea what you're talking about. I get those deja-vu moments too. I had the worst time when you were in the hospital. I spent my days feeling like I was being watched. I had the strongest urge to cover all the mirrors, but by the time I figured out a way to do it, the feeling had passed.”

Rey squeezed his fingers back and turned her attention to her tray. “You remember that red-headed guy who joined us in the school cafeteria? Taj, or something?”

“Yeah, I remember him, why? Did you know him back in England?” He coughed, “not that I'd have a problem if you did, but...”

“I didn't.” She cut in before he could continue on this train of thought. “But I felt like I did. Maybe it was a matter of I'd seen him in the same diner or something, or he used to come to the theater where I worked, but...”

Ben slowly nodded. “I get what you're trying to say.” he sighed, looking down at his hands. “I don't think it was just you, Finn kind of gave him a side-eye as well.”

“I think the only person Finn doesn't give the side-eye to is Rose.” she chuckled, taking a bite of celery, “I know I'm not immune to it either.” She wiped at her mouth with the napkin. “I will say this – it's a lot easier to rest at home than in the hospital. It was never quiet there. Even at three in the morning.”

“Who's have thought such a small place like Cody would have a busy hospital.” He gave her a smile, “although this is the only town of any size until you get to Laramie.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I'm going to hate leaving you for work on Tuesday.”

“You always have.” She dunked the tip of her sandwich into the soup. “I suspect you always will.” She looked him through her eyelashes. “Why don't you go fix a tray of your own, and the two of us can have a quasi-picnic before the kiddos wake up.”

“Sure.” He leaned over and kissed her gently. “I love you.”

Rey pressed her forehead against his, letting out a contented sigh. “I love you too.”

Ben gave her another kiss before rising from the bed and walking out of the room, humming softly. She turned back towards the window, watching the children splash, bare footed, in large puddles and chase each other in the damp grass.

At least for one afternoon, for a handful of hours, everything in the world was perfectly wonderful.

Somewhere outside a car radio started to blare Jefferson Airplane – a tune Rey recognized, but could not name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! You're wonderful!!

**Author's Note:**

> A big thanks to fettuccine relyo for beta reading! 
> 
> This fic updates on Sundays.


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